2 Nine years after series Life in London
by Lacey99
Summary: Part of the nine years after series. See summary in the first chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**Life in London starts in June 2005 and take a closer look into the start of Harm and Mac's new relationship. It's based on the story "The early years" that is part of the "Nine years after" series. In "The early years" the chapters jumped weeks or months, while in this story we get a closer look into the day to day life.**

 **Thursday June 9th**

Harm groaned as he slapped his arm around to reach for the alarm. A laugh made him open his eyes and look in to the smiling face of his wife. His wife. He, Harmon Rabb, had a wife. She turned the alarm off and headed back to the bathroom. What was she doing up? And why wasn't she as jetlagged as he was? She always got used to the time difference so easily, while he was a mess. He stretched lazily.

"Don't you have work?" she teased as she walked out of the bathroom.

"Why doesn't jetlag affect you?" he wondered with annoyance.

"Mostly because I haven't been flying in and out of time zones this weekend," she chuckled.

"I have no idea what zone I'm in, between London for two weeks, then DC for a weekend, and now back here," he let out a sigh. "And I have to go to work."

"Yeah," she walked over to the bed. "That's a shame. I could have put you to good use around here."

"Yeah?" he wiggled his eyebrows as he reached for her and dragged her down on the bed.

"To unpack," she rolled her eyes. "This place is a mess. I think that's why I'm not jetlagged, too worked up about this …" she motioned for the boxes on the floor.

He chuckled. "So, the Marines have landed, huh?" he moved his hand up her thigh. "You're in the reserves now, you can relax, kick back and enjoy making all the decisions on your own. It's on your time, not the Navy's or the Marine Corps," he kissed her softly.

"Is that your inspirational speech for the day?" she wondered between kisses.

"Yup," he moved them around so that he was on top. "I can help you figure out what to do."

"Ah," she patted his back. "Don't you need to go to work?"

He stopped his assault on her neck and let out a grown. "Damn it, I do. Not much of a honeymoon."

She smiled. "I'll let you make it up to me, when there's time."

He reluctantly moved out of bed. "Shower with me?"

"I thought I'd go for a run before I do that," she got out of bed. "So, about these boxes…"

"Leave it. We're getting a bigger place soon, no point in getting too comfortable here," he moved to the bathroom. "Please join me," he held out his hand. "I'll make it worth your while," he flashed her a charming smile.

"You use that smile on all women?" she teased.

"It doesn't work well on Marines apparently, or you'd be in the shower by now," he hesitated. "Sorry, I shouldn't bring up the Marines all the time."

"Hey, I'm still a Marine," she took his hand. "Just taking a break."

He tugged on her hand. "Lucky me."

"Yeah, lucky you," she moved in and kissed him deeply. She moved him into the bathroom and tugged on his boxers. "We need to lose these."

He moved his hands inside her shirt. "And this," he said between kisses.

Even though the shower took longer than planned, he decided to make the time to have breakfast at home. It was Thursday already, the previous day spent up in the air, the day before in Mattie's hospital room with the judge. He had left DC a married man and with custody of a minor. Mattie was joining them in a few weeks. She was progressing nicely, her nerve damage so minimal it was only her left hand that had problems responding. The Doctor's had a hard time explaining why but feeling that with time and physiotherapy Mattie would recover fully. The swelling in her brain had healed, she was showing no sign of brain damage, a miracle according to her Doctor. If anyone was deserving of a miracle it was Mattie, and when the Judge ruled that Harm and Mac had full custody, Harm swore Mattie healed a little just by hearing those words. She had no doubts about moving to another country, in fact, she was looking forward to a new start.

"What's your plan for today?" Harm wondered.

"Check out our housing situation and find out about our health care provider. For Mattie and for us," she shrugged. "Mattie needs to have a Doctor and therapists that can provide what she needs. And I need follow up on my endometriosis, so I need to see if your health care plan covers a specialist. I've never been a Navy wife before, so I have some things to figure out."

"So, my idea of taking it easy and enjoy retirement you're just ignoring?" he teased and took her hand, then sobered up. "Thank you for thinking about Mattie."

"Of course," she smiled.

"And we should find the time to sit down and talk about what we want to do concerning pregnancy," he added as he stood and took his plate to the sink.

"Yeah, we really should," she agreed. "And we haven't really talked about our financial situation."

"I guess," he leaned on the counter and crossed his arms. "We talked about you waiting until you reached your twenty to hand in your request for an inactive billet."

"Yeah, and we dodged that by two days," she chuckled. "But at least I have full benefits. Anyway, I've put money aside so I'm comfortable. What about you?"

"Yeah, I've put some money aside. I have a trust fund that I haven't touched. Frank set one up for me after he married mom. I'm comfortable too," he hesitated. "It can come in handy if we need money when we go ahead with our plan to make a baby."

She stood. "Yeah, and speaking of that," she walked over and put her plate in the sink. "Pregnancy gets harder with every passing year for a healthy woman, and I'm already thirty-eight. You're forty-one. Time is working against us, so is my condition."

He nodded. "We should hurry up then."

"My Doctor back home wanted me to start on contraceptives to keep my endometriosis in check, but I told her I wanted to wait because I want to try and make a baby. With my chances of conceiving she warned me that I was putting my health at risk," she shrugged. "I think I want a second opinion, but I want someone who's really an expert on the area."

Harm nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. And even if our health plan doesn't cover it, we'll go ahead and do it anyway," he leaned in and kissed her. "I really want to give you what you want the most."

"Well, she smiled. "You did. I have you."

He kissed her softly. "I love you, you know that right?"

"I love you too," she kissed him softly. "And now you're seriously late for work," she teased.

He kissed her again. "Let's continue this later. Tonight," he pushed off the counter. "Come by the office today. We can do lunch and you can meet my staff."

"Sure," she looked around the kitchen, most of their kitchen supplies in boxes. "I'm going to see what I can do about housing. We need more space and I need to be able to put things where they belong."

Harm laughed softly. "Good luck with that. Let me know if you need me for anything."

 **Later that day**

Mac took the elevator up to the right floor after going through security. The offices of the Force Judge Advocate were located in a historic building, surprisingly the inside was modernized though. Security was tight, so she didn't have to worry about Harm's safety while he was in the building.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

She met the look of a female Ensign. "I'm here to see Captain Rabb."

"Is the Captain expecting you, ma'am," the Ensign wondered.

"Sorry," she offered her hand. "I'm Sarah Rabb, the Captain's wife."

"Oh, ma'am," the Ensign offered her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. And congratulations on your wedding. I'm Ensign Delgado. I mostly help out with research and such."

"Nice to meet you, Ensign," Mac looked around. "It's surprisingly modern here."

"Right, you can't see that on the building," she motioned for Mac to follow her. "The Captain is in his office."

Mac followed the Ensign. A young female Petty Officer stood as they walked up to her desk. "Petty Officer Larsen, this is Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Rabb."

"Oh, the Captain's wife. It's really nice to finally meet you, ma'am," the Petty Officer smiled.

Mac was surprised that the Ensign knew her rank. Apparently, Harm had talked about her to his staff. A door opened behind them and Mac turned. There he was standing, all tall and handsome in is summer whites. "Hey."

His eyes met hers and he smiled. "Hey," he walked over and kissed her.

"Ready for lunch?" she wondered.

"Yeah," he turned to Larsen and Delgado. "I take it you already met my wife."

"We did," they said in unison.

Harm smiled. "Come on, let me show you around," he took her hand.

"It was nice meeting you both," Mac said and followed her husband.

Petty Officer Larsen and Ensign Delgado waited until they were out of earshot. "She's as beautiful as the Captain is handsome," Delgado said.

Larsen nodded. "They sure seem like the perfect couple."

After showing Mac around and introducing her to his people, they headed out of the building. Harm suggested a Chinese restaurant he had used before. He took her hand as they walked.

"So, you've told your staff about me?" she questioned.

"I might have mentioned you," he chuckled. "You've talked with O'Neil before, when you've called me. Let's just say that I didn't have to tell them about your rank after you introduced yourself to her the first time you called."

"Office gossip travels fast on the other side of the pond too, huh?" she smiled. "Are you happy with your staff?"

He hesitated. "Yeah, they're great. Since Coates and Bud didn't want to come with me, the only one I did bring was Lieutenant Denton. He shows good promise, although he does need some grooming yet. Reminds me of Bud. I hope to have Lieutenant Graves join my staff too as soon as she finishes Naval justice school."

"Don't give up on Coates and Bud quite yet," Mac smiled. "They'll come around. I got the impression that Coates regretted staying at Headquarters. Especially now that Mattie is relocating."

"We'll see," he stopped in the middle of the street and pulled her close. "I have you here, that's all I need," he leaned in and kissed her.

Surprised by his public display of affection, she looked at him funny as the kiss ended. He had never been one for any public displays of affection with any of his previous girlfriends, much like herself with previous men. "What?" he wondered.

"You're just being really sweet, that's all," she chuckled. "I guess it still takes me by surprise."

"I guess it does need some getting used to," he took her hand again and started walking. "Sometimes I surprise myself too."

She studied him. "Yeah? What changed?"

He hesitated. "We did."

She nodded. "Yeah, how about that," she let out a happy sigh. "I can get used to this side of us."

He stopped as they neared the restaurant. "Me too," he kissed her softly before holding the door open for her. "Ladies first."

They shared a nice lunch, then Mac walked Harm back to the office.

"What are you up to now?" he wondered.

"I'm going to walk around for a while," she smiled sweetly. "I've always wanted to explore London, and now I have the chance. I promised Mattie I wouldn't explore too much without her, because we have all summer together to do that before she starts school in the fall," she hesitated. "That reminds me that I promised her I'd get a hold of all her books and I have to talk with her previous school to get an overview of what she's missed, that way I can help her get caught up."

Harm couldn't help to be in awe. "You really have thought this through, haven't you?"

"Of course," she shrugged.

"I should have known," he pulled her close. "I've never seen you not prepared. Thank you for being so committed to us, and Mattie."

"I always have your back," she leaned in and kissed him. "See you later. Love you," she kissed him again.

"Love you too," he moved away, then changed his mind. "One more," he kissed her deeply. "To be continued later."

"I can't wait," she smiled and watched him disappear into the building.


	2. Chapter 2

**Saturday June 11th**

Harm was finally feeling normal again after his weekend back in DC. He couldn't believe that a week had passed already since they married. One week together. And even though he couldn't say after a week with her that this was how it would always be, he could definitely say that he would do his very best to make sure that it would be. The week had been amazing, even with the stress to get to DC in time for the wedding, the actual stress of the wedding day, Mattie's custody hearing and rushing back to London because he couldn't take more leave. He felt her move beside him and soon a hand was caressing his chest softly. He smiled and turned to her.

"Good morning."

She smiled. "It is a good morning.," she snuggled into his arms. "You don't have to work today."

"Two days where I can fully focus on you," he ran his hand up and down her arm. "What do you want to do?"

"We can go for a run," she suggested. "You haven't done any form of exercise all week, you must be going crazy."

"Well, I've had some exercise," he argued as he moved to pin her under him, kissing her softly.

"Yeah," she pulled him close. "I have enjoyed that."

"You are so beautiful," he kissed down her throat and neck. "Let's just stay in bed, huh?"

"We could do that," she snuggled into his arms. "It's been a week already."

"It has," he went back to caressing her softly. "How are you feeling? Are you happy?"

"Yes, maybe for the first time in my life," she admitted. "I didn't know that just being with someone could feel so…"

"Fulfilling?" he suggested.

"Yes, exactly," she smiled. "It's hard to put into words exactly how I feel at the moment."

"Even with all you gave up?" he looked at her curiously. "You were really happy about that new command."

"I was," she agreed. "I was looking forward to a new start. I just dreaded not seeing you every day."

"Truthfully, I had almost given up on you when you came that night," he admitted.

She let out a sigh "I'm sorry."

"You had a lot to deal with," he ran a finger down her cheek. "It's okay. We're here now."

She smiled. "We are. And today we can start moving our things into the new house."

He chuckled. "I can't believe you made that happen in your first week here. I was sure we had to wait longer."

"A little luck, and a little convincing and we got our house," she smiled. "I can't wait to show you. It's a little bit bigger than what we need, but you know, maybe one day we'll need the room."

He smirked. "We can work on that right now."

She chuckled. "You really believe you can make me pregnant, just like that. Four percent chance, Harm."

"I'm definitely going to try," he ran his hands down her body. "And think of all the fun we'll have while we're at it, huh?"

"It's true, it is fun," she agreed as she ran her hand down his chest. "You're really, very good at this Harm."

"I aim to please," he whispered towards her mouth.

 **Thursday June 16th**

Harm closed the door behind him and put down his briefcase while balancing their take-out in one hand. He put his cap on the table in front of the mirror. He wondered if Mac had made it home yet. She'd been at their new house getting it in order for the final move. It would be their last night in this apartment.

He crossed the empty living room and entered their bedroom. He put their take-out on the bed. The movers had been there earlier that day and the apartment was almost empty. He started removing his uniform, when the bathroom door opened and Mac, only clad in a towel, stepped into the bedroom. "Hey."

She smiled. "Hey there," she walked over and kissed him. "How was your day?"

"Well," he finished removing his pants. "I came home and found my beautiful wife wearing nothing but a towel, so I'm doing pretty good," he drew her close. "Dinner is on the bed," he kissed her again.

She smiled as she moved away from him. She removed the towel on her head and reached for the hairbrush. "Last night," she said chipperly.

"Yeah," he found a t-shirt and put it on. "Only thing is we don't have a bed yet at the house."

"The movers will take the rest tomorrow. We'll have to sleep in the guest room until we get our own bed. I'm hopeful that it will arrive sometime tomorrow though," she finished brushing her hair and dropped her towel.

He smiled. "Stop!"

Smirking she reached for her panties and slipped them on. Then she took one of his t-shirts and slipped on. "Sorry, but no funny business until I've been fed."

"All right," he slumped down on the bed.

"I spoke to Mattie's Doctor this morning, my morning," she joined him on the bed.

"And?" he handed her the burger. "Here's your massive heart attack wrapped in paper."

"I hardly ever indulge in burgers," she pointed out. "I eat healthy ninety-five percent of the time, but," she smiled at him. "What's life without a little fun, huh?"

He laughed softly. "Well, I'll tell you what," he opened his own carton. "I'm having a burger too."

"What?" she raised her eyebrows.

"I found this place where they make everything from scratch and only use ecological products. It costs more, but it's delicious and healthier than all those places of mass-produced food," he smiled sweetly.

She opened the wrapping. "Home made burger bread too? Wow, Harm, this is amazing."

He opened his own wrapping. "Whole wheat. I'd like to keep you around for a long time, so I'm trying to keep you healthy."

"That's so sweet," she took a bite and chewed slowly. "And people say that you're not romantic. This is good."

He studied her curiously. "Who says that I'm not romantic?"

"You know," she hesitated and said quietly. "Exes."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Well, not in so many words, but you pick up a thing or two through nine years," she chuckled.

"Women just doesn't see the sweet things, they expect it to be all flowers and fancy candlelight dinners all the time, but you know what?" he studied her.

"What?" she wondered.

"I can give you all of that, but what's important is to pay attention, listen and a good hug always goes a long way. All the glam doesn't make a great relationship."

She thought about it. "I agree."

He hesitated. "I should let you know that I haven't been great at the small things either, before, but I'm definitely going to do better with you."

She nodded. "I know you will."

"You do?" he questioned.

"Yes, because when a guy like you finally commit, it's because you mean it. It goes both ways," she leaned in and kissed him softly. "I'm committed to us too."

"Good," he smiled widely.

"And this was great burger, Harm," she complimented. "You have to take me to this place sometime."

"Of course, I will," he promised. "So, about Mattie?"

"Yeah, Doctor Harris feels that she is ready to travel soon. She's making great progress. We're talking again over the weekend and we'll make a plan. He's been having a dialogue with her new Doctor here."

"Doctor Snowden," Harm nodded. "I like him."

"Me too," she hesitated thoughtfully. "Oh, and her stuff arrived at the house today. Thankfully I managed to avoid that it ended up here," she chuckled. "That would be chaos."

He reached out and cupped her face. "You are amazing, Mac."

She shrugged. "I don't know about that, but I'm invested in making this work out for all of us. Mattie too."

"She's looking forward to coming here, but as her Doctor said, if she keeps pushing herself she'll eventually hurt herself. Her trip here could be postponed," he hesitated. "I wish I could be there for her. Sometimes I think that I made a mistake saying yes to this new assignment. I'm so far away from her."

Mac put her burger away and moved into his embrace. "Hey, she supports you."

"Yeah, but she shouldn't be the one doing that. She's the kid and I should be supporting her," he moved his own burger out of the way and gathered her into his arms.

"You do," she reassured. "Mattie will be here soon, and we'll be a real family. We'll help her through this. It's a new start for all of us."

"It just bothers me that I'm here and she's over there, you know," he kissed her forehead.

"I know, but she's doing great and we'll just keep making those daily calls and trust that Jenn and Tom take good care of her," she smiled. "It'll be okay."

Harm nodded. "I have to admit that I'm impressed with Tom."

"He just has to keep going to his meetings and do the hard work. It's important for Mattie," Mac reached for her burger again. "I thought I'd make sure that Mattie's room is ready for when she arrives. She should feel home."

"The house is great, Mac," Harm smiled.

"Thankfully the Navy hadn't given it to another family after Captain Reece was relocated," she looked thoughtful. "It's a nice neighborhood too."

"Should be a good place for us to start our life together," he leaned in and kissed her softly.

She nodded. "It'll be great."

 **Monday June 20th**

Mac looked around the room and let out a contented sigh. She was very exited to show her husband when he came home. She had been working on their living room all day and in her eyes, it was perfect. She had started painting the previous week, changing the colors into something warmer. She had put a sitting group in the room with the fireplace, her own vintage cabinet and a bench by the window that she had found at an antique store earlier in the day. Moving her look into the TV room, it was more modern looking, a nice blending of her and Harm's tastes, she thought. She just hoped that he'd like it. He had left yesterday for Naples, where he had meetings all day. A little travel came with the responsibility of his command. She had kept herself busy with the house, and she was pleased with the result.

The front door opened and shut, and she hurried to the hallway to meet him.

"Hey," he put his suitcase down and hurried over.

She more or less jumped into his arms. "Hey," her mouth found his in a passionate kiss. They didn't exchange many words for the next twenty minutes.

"That was a nice welcome home," he said between heavy breaths. "Wow!"

She chuckled. "Wow is right. So," she turned on her side. "How was your trip?"

"Well," he turned and propped himself up on an elbow. "It went well. The usual dry talk, you know the drill," he leaned in and kissed her. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," she smiled sweetly. "You have to take a look downstairs. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," he moved over her. "It's no hurry."

She patted his behind. "Get up, Captain. I want to show you something."

He reluctantly released her. "Have you been busy?"

She found his shirt on the floor and put it on. "Yup."

He found a pair of sweats in his closet and put them on. He stopped and looked at her. "You wear that shirt better than me."

She touched his Captains shoulder boards and smiled as she looked in the mirror. "I look good with O6 rank," she joked.

He sobered up. "It would have happened in a month when the Marine Corps selection board make their decisions."

She shrugged. "Probably, but it's not important."

"You gave up a lot to be here playing housewife," he hesitated. "Sometimes I think that you'll wake up one day and regret it."

"Harm, I want you more than a want a command, and I want a family more than I want a promotion," she stepped closer to him. "I really want to try and conceive, and a stressful command wouldn't make that any easier."

He moved his arms around her. "Good point, counselor," he kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you more," she smiled and turned. "Come on, you have to see what I've done."

He followed her downstairs. "Wow, Mac," he looked around. "You did all this while I was away?"

"I did," she looked hopefully at him. "So?"

He smiled. "It's great. Everything is perfect. I especially like this," he walked into the smaller room with the fireplace. "I can see myself spending time here," he pointed to the bench by the window. "This is new."

"I found this amazing antique place," she moved her hand over the bench. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Everything is perfect, Mac," he smiled. "You did good. This is turning into a real home. Thank you."

"To tell you the truth, I loved every minute of it," she admitted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thursday June 23rd**

Mac cursed loudly as she opened the oven. That night's dinner was not eatable. She reached for it and dumped the whole dish in the sink. When cheese has turned black, it's time to call for take-out.

She had been caught up in Mattie's room getting it ready for her to come home, then Harriet had called, and it wasn't until she had hung up that she realized that she had forgotten about the dish in the oven.

"Problems Marine?"

She turned toward the kitchen entrance and shrugged. "Looks like it's take-out tonight, honey."

He chuckled. "What were you trying to make anyway?" he wondered.

"Some dish I found online," she reached for the phone. "I'll just order a pizza."

"Yeah, that's fine," he agreed as he walked over and kissed her. "How was your day?"

"A lot better than that dinner will taste," she chuckled. "I've been busy, but Mattie's room is ready, Harriet says hi, and of course I've talked with Mattie. Twice," she smiled. "Guess what?"

"What?" he questioned.

"A nice lady with the FRG called me," she moved over to the counter and found the menu for the place she ordered pizza from on Sunday night when she was home alone.

"FRG huh?" he was amused.

"She was really nice. She thought since we just got married I would have tons of questions about Navy life," she chuckled.

"I think you'll manage fine in the Navy world," he teased.

"That's what I told her," she dialed the number for the pizza place. "Anyway, I told her… Hi, I want to order a pizza. Half veggie, half meat lover." She told their address and hung up. "I told her who I was and that it was nice of her to call. She suggested coming to a meeting and I said maybe I would once things calms down. You know, it couldn't hurt to get to know people. Other Navy wives. God, it's really happening isn't it? I'm turning into a housewife," she stared at him. "I'm talking about getting involved with the FRG, I'm burning dinner… I think I need to shoot or something."

He laughed softly. "Just don't come chasing after me with a gun."

She smirked. "Don't worry, I won't."

He took her hand. "Seriously though, maybe you should consider finding something to do? I mean, use that big, very complicated brain of yours on something other than burning dinner."

"I have a complicated brain?" she was amused.

"You do," he leaned in and kissed her. "That's one of the things I love the most about you."

She kissed him and let out a sigh. "Well, I'm thinking about that request from the University," she shrugged as she let him go. "I have two weeks to decide. I just want to make sure that Mattie settles okay before I decide to rush into anything."

"You won't start until the fall anyway, and I'm sure Mattie is settled by then. It'll be good for you to have something to do other than to think about Mattie, the house, me and baby making," he moved to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to go change."

"Harm?"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"Don't worry so much about me, okay? I'm happy here, with you," she smiled. "You didn't rob me of anything. It was my choice and I'm okay with it."

"I know that, but still," he hesitated. "You're just so smart and capable, you should share that with the world."

She offered a sweet smile. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"No, I remember saying a lot of nice things on our wedding day," he flashed her a cocky smile. "And on our wedding night," he winked at her and turned to leave.

 **Sunday June 26th**

Harm found Mac and Mattie on the couch watching TV when he came back down after a shower. He had been out for a run to try and loosen up his back. It had been tense and aching after spending most of the weekend up in the air, flying between London and D.C to get Mattie home. The girl had been happy to see her room, and excited to finally be out of the hospital.

Harm slumped down on the couch. "What are we watching?"

"Just flipping through channels really," Mac leaned onto him. "Is your back feeling better?"

"Yeah," he smiled and put his hand on her thigh, rubbing it softly. "I'm getting too old to spend that much time flying between locations."

"What?" Mac was amused. "You did not just complain about being up in the air?"

"I heard it too," Mattie teased.

"A fighter jet is so much more comfortable," he reasoned.

"Right," Mac chuckled.

"So, Mattie. What do you think about the house?" Harm wondered.

"I think it's great," she smiled. "I would be happy anywhere, just as long as it's not a hospital. I'm so over nurses and doctors. This is great, really."

"We kinda have to go back to the hospital tomorrow," Mac reminded her. "But just to meet your new doctor and physiotherapist. We'll get your schedule for your sessions with your physiotherapist."

"I can't wait," Mattie said with irony.

"It'll be fine," Harm reassured. "We should find the time to make plans for the summer. Mom wants to rent a house in the D.C area so that we can all spend time together. She thought that it would be a good location, so that we can see our friend's and grams, and you can see your father and your friend's. It'll give you something to look forward to."

"I think it's a very good idea," Mac agreed.

"Yeah, it sounds like fun," Mattie started to stand. "I'm going to check out my new computer. Thanks for that, and for my room. I wasn't expecting…" she hesitated. "Thanks for this. Everything."

"We're really happy that you're here, Mattie," Mac smiled. "Please let me know if there's something you need. We can go shopping sometime during the week."

"That sentence strikes fear in every man, you know," Harm teased.

"I could use some new clothes. Most of my clothes are too big. I'll say this for hospital food, it works well as a diet," Mattie joked.

"Doctor Anthony was a bit concerned about your weight loss, but you're home now, and I'm sure some homecooked meals will get you back in shape in no time," Harm assured.

"If I don't burn dinner that is," Mac joked.

Harm chuckled. "There's that."

"I can help with dinner, and the house," Mattie pointed out. "I'm just so grateful to be here," she bent down and hugged Harm. "Thanks Dad."

Harm hugged her close. "We're happy too."

Mattie moved out of his embrace and hugged Mac. "Thank you."

"Any time," Mac smiled.

Mattie smiled. "I'm going to go to my room. I'm tired. Good night."

"Good night, Mattie," Mac and Harm watched her go, then Harm moved his arms around Mac and hugged her close. "Finally a family, huh?"

"Finally," Mac agreed.

 **Wednesday June 29th**

Harm found his wife writing notes on a legal pad, files scattered around the kitchen table as he entered the kitchen that night. She looked up and smiled when she noticed his presence. They were in their fourth week as a married couple and so far he was the happiest man walking on planet earth. They were good together in every way.

"What are you doing?" he wondered as he bent down and kissed her softly, letting the kiss linger before he ended it and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," she smiled sweetly.

He looked at the files on the table. "What's this?"

"Just helping you prepare for your meeting with Admiral Hayes and his staff concerning those environmental issues," she shrugged. "You can use it if you want to, or not. It just gave me something to do," she handed him a file.

He looked over her notes and marks, then focused on her. "This is great. I can definitely use this," he chuckled. "Are you really this bored, Mac? I mean, environmental law isn't exactly sexy."

She shrugged. "Nah, but it's important," she stood. "Dinner is almost ready," she opened the oven door. "Lasagna," she closed it.

"Sounds good," he continued to look over her notes. "By the way, Admiral Hayes and his wife wants us to join them for dinner tomorrow night. Is that okay?"

"I can be a good Navy wife for one night," she joked.

He lifted his focus from her file. "Good," he smiled sweetly. "Thank you for doing this. It saves me a lot of time, Mac. But, it worries me that you're this bored."

"Well, the house is in order, Mattie is pretty much self-going so I do have a lot of free time on my hand. I talked with the University today and I'm doing two days a week in the fall. I'll be teaching an international law class. It's usually very popular so they are expecting it to be packed," Mac opened the cabinet and reached for plates. "Just put all that in a pile," she motioned for all her stuff on the table.

"That's great," he started gathering the files and legal books. "It's great right?"

"Yeah," she put the plates on the table. "It's exciting. I have never taught a class before, but I have the whole summer to prepare. It is a subject I know a lot about, so it should be interesting to talk about it every week for four months."

"You'll be great," he smiled. "I'll just go change," he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

She grabbed his hand before he could get away. "Maybe we can go to bed early tonight? Since I'm done with my cycle, we could have some fun."

"Mac, if I ever say no to that I want you to take your gun and shoot me," he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

"I'll remember you said that," she teased.

He smiled as he moved to the doorway. "Is Mattie in her room?"

"Yes, she's been a little down today because she and Kevin decided to end it. I took her out for ice cream after her physio session," Mac smiled. "She's doing fine, just a little sad. Kevin was her first real boyfriend."

Harm hesitated. "I never asked, but did you get the impression that they were intimate?"

"They weren't," Mac reassured. "Mattie wasn't ready, then she crashed and ended up at the hospital and Kevin lost interest eventually. I think that's why they broke up. She's fine with it really, but it's strange for her, leaving all her friend's and starting all over in a new country."

"You guys have talked a lot," he was impressed.

"We're girls," Mac smiled. "It is what girls do."

"I'm not even going to comment on that," he chuckled and left the kitchen.

Harm changed out of his uniform, then knocked on Mattie's door.

"Come in!"

He opened the door and found Mattie in front of her computer. "Dinner is ready."

Mattie turned her focus on him. "Great, I'm starving. I hope Mac didn't mind that I didn't help today?"

"Nah, it's fine," Harm reassured. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, really," Mattie hesitated. "Tired from my session with Molly."

Harm nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you today."

"That's okay. Mac was there," Mattie stood. "She's really great, Harm."

"I agree," he smiled sweetly.

"It's nice to see you so happy, Dad," Mattie hugged him. "And I know you can't be there for every one of my sessions, and that's okay."

"You'd let me know if you needed me for something, right?" he let her go and looked at her.

"I will," she promised. "I really like Molly. I feel fine, you know. It's just the fatigue, my left hand being powerless and feeling weak. I hate that."

"I know you do, but your strength will come back with time. And just because your body feels weak, doesn't mean that you're weak. You're one of the strongest people I know," he smiled. "Come on, let's have dinner."

Mattie nodded and followed him. "It's nice to have someone. It's like a real family."

"We are a real family, Mattie," Harm reassured.

Mattie smiled. "I think we all needed a family."

Harm nodded. "You know Mattie, sometimes you say the smartest things."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thursday June 30th**

Mac knocked on Mattie's door. It was 09.00 and Mac decided that even teenagers needed to get their day started even during summer vacation. Mattie had the day off from physiotherapy, but that didn't mean that she had the day off from exercise. Molly had provided her with a plan for what she had to do during her day's off and Mac knew it was her job to make sure that Mattie did what she had to do.

"I'm up," Mattie yelled. "Come in."

Mac smiled as she opened the door. "Good morning."

Mattie stretched in bed and yawned. "Morning. Did you have breakfast?"

"Nah, I just got back from my run," Mac walked over to the window and opened the curtains.

"You're a real morning person, aren't you?" Mattie sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"I guess I am," Mac admitted as she headed for the door. "Come on, up and hop, it's a beautiful day. Let's have breakfast, then we'll go out. Maybe a walk in the park, huh?"

"But you just ran?" she tumbled out of bed.

Mac smiled. "We can't stay inside when the weather is so lovely," she said in a British accent.

Mattie shook her head with amusement. "Okay, I'm up."

They enjoyed a quiet breakfast then went for a walk. Mac used the opportunity to ask Mattie about what she wanted to do during summer.

"I don't know," Mattie shrugged. "I'll be busy with therapy most of the summer."

"Molly did suggest a few weeks off," Mac reasoned. "We're spending that week in D.C, but maybe we could do something else too? Europe is great, a lot of beautiful countries around us."

"That's true," Mattie hesitated. "What do you want to do?"

"We could spend a week in Italy, maybe?" Mac suggested.

"That sounds romantic," Mattie smiled. "Something you and Harm should do alone. I'll just be in the way."

"No, you won't ever be in the way, Mattie," Mac reassured. "It'll be fun for us as a family."

Mattie smiled. "Okay. Italy sounds great."

"We should sit down with Harm and plan," Mac let out a happy sigh. "This is a nice park, huh? And so close to the house. We were lucky to be able to live like this, and close to schools and Harm's work."

"It sure is nice," Mattie agreed.

 **Later that night**

Harm stood by the staircase waiting for Mac to be ready. He was busy checking his email on his phone when he heard Mattie clear her throat behind him. He turned and saw her pointing up the stairs. Harm turned and saw Mac walking downstairs. She was dressed in a black cocktail dress, showing off her body perfectly.

"You look... Wow," he offered his hand and kissed her softly.

"Thank you. And you look so handsome," she smiled sweetly and straightened his tie, then turned to Mattie. "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm ordering a pizza, and I have candy," she smiled. "You guys enjoy dinner."

Harm tugged on Mac's hand. "We better get going. We don't want to be late," he handed cash over to Mattie. "For pizza. And be careful. Don't open the door to strangers."

"The pizza delivery person is a stranger," Mattie pointed out.

Harm wrinkled his forehead with worry.

Mac smiled. "Mattie will be fine. Come on Captain," she focused on Mattie. "Have fun."

"You too," Mattie smirked by the way Harm was looking at her. "Don't worry, Dad."

Harm smiled. "Me? I don't worry," he followed his wife into the hallway. He pulled her into his arms. "You look spectacular."

"I wanted to dress up for you," she kissed him softly.

"Lucky me," he kissed her again.

 **Later**

Admiral Hayes and his wife were both gracious people. The Admiral was curious about Mac's career and her choice to give it up.

"Love won, I guess," Mac smiled and took Harm's hand. "I could have asked for an assignment here, but I have other priorities at the moment."

"I can respect that," the Admiral smiled. "And how is your daughter? I understand she was in some sort of accident?"

"Yes, sir. She crashed in a small airplane," Harm clarified. "She was taking lessons."

"It was a near fatal accident. She's lucky to be alive, it's amazing really, and especially considering how fast she has recovered. It's truly remarkable," Mac smiled. "But she's a remarkable girl."

"And your husband is an interesting man too," the Admiral smirked. "I must say, in the past, that I've found lawyers boring. The Captain however..."

Mac smiled. "Yes, he's unique."

"It must be the wings," the Admiral chuckled. "We still have some environmental issues to talk about, but the Captain has some good ideas."

"Well," Harm looked at Mac. "I have to give the credit for some of those ideas to Mac," he focused on the Admiral again. "Being married to a lawyer has its advantages."

"Maybe I should have the Colonel on my staff," the Admiral suggested. "When you decide to come back that is," he added.

The dinner progressed very well. Harm and Admiral Hayes went over to discussing business, and Mac offered her opinions. She also had a nice talk with Mrs. Hayes, who seemed used to these dinners that were mostly business.

"Get used to this," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I should," Mac agreed.

 **Later**

Harm let Mac enter their house before him. He heard the TV and assumed that Mattie was still up. As much as he wanted to go straight to their bedroom and close the door, he decided to spend some time with Mattie first.

"How was your night?" Mac asked as she walked into the living room.

"It was good," Mattie yawned. "I mostly talked with Jenn on Skype. She has leave coming up so I suggested that she visit. Is that okay?"

"Of course," Harm smiled. "We have room."

"Great," Mattie started to stand. "Well, I'm heading to bed."

"See you tomorrow night then," Harm hugged her.

"I'll wake you up around 08.30. We have that session with Molly at 10.00," Mac reminded her.

"I know," Mattie hugged Mac too. "Good night."

"Good night," Mac watched her disappear upstairs then she turned to her husband. "I think having Jenn here would do her good. I'll call Jenn tomorrow and invite her."

Harm nodded. "Good idea," he smiled and pulled her close. "Tonight was nice, right?"

"Yeah, it was," Mac leaned in and kissed him. "I'm proud of you."

"Me?" he questioned.

"Yes, you," she smiled. "I know that you'd rather work cases and be superman, but you're doing great in command, Harm. The higher ups are satisfied, and your staff seems happy. Even your XO seems to be settling with your ways," she noticed his curious look. "I talked with his wife the other day after our lunch. I ran into her as I was leaving your office, and we had coffee."

"You didn't say," he hesitated. "And yes, the commander seems to be doing better."

"He was hoping to get a promotion to full Commander, and when that didn't happen this time he didn't take it so well," Mac shrugged. "I think he just needs a little encouragement and it'll work out."

"Thanks for the heads up," Harm smirked. "You've done some good detective work, huh?"

"Nah, just wanted to be nice to a fellow Navy wife," she teased. "Did you know that they have a son with Downs? Three children in total. It's a lot of work I think."

"I did know that, and they seem to be handling everything fine," Harm ran his hand up and down her back. "It's hard for any military family abroad, without family support. But I think having children is a blessing, even with extra needs. I wouldn't give up the experience with Mattie, even the hard times with her going back to live with her father, her accident and the needs she has now."

"I'm proud of you," she put her hand on his cheek. "I also think the Mattie experience is why we could eventually make it work. It's because of her that you've learned to love unconditionally."

"I guess," he leaned in and kissed her. "I also think you have something to do with that. I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled. "Let's go to bed, Captain."

He released her and moved to the staircase. "After you."

She walked past him, taking his tie she pulled softly at it. "Come on, handsome."

 **Friday July 1st**

Harm turned the alarm off and let out a groan. He felt her arms encircle his waist and he smiled and put his arms around her. This was a great way to wake up, it was just a shame it wasn't the weekend so that he could stay there with her. He started trailing kisses down her neck as his hands moved down her sides as they met in a heated kiss. She was a work of art from top to bottom and he couldn't get enough of her.

"Do you have time?" she mumbled between kisses.

"Too late to stop now," he mumbled as he moved close enough for her to feel his excitement.

A little later they collapsed in bed breathing hard.

"That was… Wow!" Mac relaxed into his arms.

"A good way to start the day," he agreed and turned to her. "And I really have to go," he leaned in and kissed her. "Which sucks."

"Big time," she agreed and kissed him again. "I'll get up too, and we can have breakfast together. If you have the time."

He hesitated as he reached for his watch. "It's 06.45. You don't have to be in until 0800 because you don't have anything scheduled before your morning staff meeting at 08.30."

"Sometime soon I have to find a way to short circuit that watch of yours," he leaned in and kissed her deeply. "I won't have time for breakfast, because my shower will last too long," he wiggled his eyebrows as he started to get out of bed, tugging on her hand.

She wasn't hard to ask as she followed him to the shower.

 **Later**

Mac smiled when Mattie tumbled into the kitchen. Mattie hadn't been much of a morning person after she'd come home. The girl was so happy to not be waken up by nurses to take her blood pressure or tests early in the mornings, claiming that she was so over hospitals. She truly had blossomed after being home, gaining weight and getting some color back on her face. She looked happy.

"Morning," Mac put her coffee down. "I was just about to come wake you up."

"I'm up," Mattie smiled as she slumped down on a chair. "Did you eat with Harm?"

"Ah," Mac blushed slightly by the thought of what they had been up to early in the morning. "He didn't have time for breakfast."

"I'm not even going to ask why," Mattie teased.

"Anyway," Mac stood. "Oatmeal, eggs?"

"I can make it," Mattie started to stand.

"I've got it," Mac waved her off.

"Okay, eggs please," Mattie hesitated. "Did Harm say he was coming today?"

"No, he won't make it. He has a 09.30 meeting with Admiral Hayes. He'll make sure to be there on Monday though," Mac reassured.

Mattie nodded. "Okay."

"He would have been there if he could Mattie," Mac smiled. "Really."

"I know. It just feels like he works a lot," Mattie shrugged. "I know he has to, I just miss him."

"Yeah, I understand," Mac cracked an egg. "It'll calm down for him, it's just a lot to do with a new command."

"I understand," Mattie reassured. "Besides, I have you."

"You do have me," Mac smiled as she cracked the second egg.


	5. Chapter 5

**Saturday, July 2nd**

Mac giggled as Harm ran his hands down her body. They were in the shower cleaning up after their run. Mac softly pushed him away.

"We should hurry up. Mattie will be up soon," she reminded him.

"But," he reached for her again. "This is so much fun."

"I know, but we can do this later," she cupped his face. "I think Mattie needs some father/daughter time."

Harm moved a little away from her, stepping under the water to wash off the soap. "Did she say something?"

"I could just sense it," Mac smiled. "You should spend some time with her. Alone."

Harm let Mac get under the water and stepped out of the shower, reaching for a towel he wrapped it around his waist. "What will you do?"

"Read," Mac shrugged and turned the water off.

Harm watched as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. "We could do something all of us," he suggested.

"It's fine, I don't mind some alone time," she smiled.

"Okay," he hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," she reassured as she wrapped a towel around her head. "It'll be nice for Mattie to have you to herself a little."

"I guess," he smiled. "You're right."

"I usually am," she teased.

 **Later that day**

Harm had taken Mattie to the maritime museum, then they'd had lunch. Now they were walking through a park, enjoying the nice weather. Mattie had been in a good mood all day, a little tired after their visit to the museum, but after lunch, she asked to go for a walk instead of going straight home.

"Harm?" Mattie hesitated.

"What's up Matts?" he asked.

"I don't know how to thank you for this," she smiled sheepishly. "I mean, this wasn't your plan. To get stuck with me."

"Mattie, that's not how I see it," he stopped and motioned for a bench. "Let's sit," he suggested.

"Okay," Mattie walked over to the bench and sat down. "You're so busy, and I don't want to be in the way."

Harm sat down and took her hand in his. "Mattie. When you went back to live with your father I felt a huge loss. I knew it was the right thing, but still, there was a huge void in my life. I'm sorry about your accident, and I'm sorry your father couldn't stay sober, but I'm also happy that you're back in my life. You're like a daughter to me, and that won't change, even if you decide to go back to live with your father."

"I don't know if I want to go back," she admitted.

"And that's your choice," he smiled. "Mac and I will be happy to have you with us, for as long as you want. We're a family."

"Thank you, so much," Mattie smiled. "Mac is great. It's like having a mom again, or at least a super cool aunt," she chuckled. "It feels safe to be here with the two of you. Like I have someone who'll never let me down or abandon me."

"We never will," he promised.

 **Later that day**

Harm finished the lasagna and put it in the oven. He sat down on a barstool and reached for the book he was reading. Today had been a great day. After spending time with Mattie, all three of them took a drive and fund a nice beach where they could bath. Mattie had met some girls' her age and gone to get ice cream with them while Mac and he relaxed in the sun. It had been a wonderful family day, something he could get used to.

"Almost dinnertime?" Mac wondered as she walked into the kitchen.

He looked up from his book. "Yeah, in a little while."

She walked over and sat down beside him. "Today was a great day."

"I agree," he put his book away. "You in a bikini…" he wiggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "Men."

"You like us," he moved his arms around her.

"I like you," she smiled as she leaned in and kissed him, meaning for a short kiss, but as usual neither of them wanted it to end.

"Sorry," Mattie turned to leave.

Harm and Mac broke apart. "No, stay," Mac hurried to say.

"Dinner is almost ready," Harm started to stand. "I'll just set the table."

"Okay," Mattie hesitated. "I talked with Jenn. She's looking forward to coming here."

"Is she looking forward to experiencing London?" Mac assumed.

"Yeah, she really is," Mattie slumped down on a chair.

"We have a surprise," Mac looked smilingly at Harm.

Harm nodded. "I'll take off early on Friday, Mac booked us a hotel in Colchester to stay the weekend."

"It has a great history," Mac added.

"That sounds cool," Mattie smiled. "Thanks."

"It'll be great to see more of what England has to offer," Harm took the lasagna out of the oven.

 **Wednesday, July 6th**

Mac stretched lazily. She could sleep longer, but somehow, she was wide awake. Harm's alarm had woken her up and usually, she would sleep an hour longer before getting the day started, but now she was ready for a run. They had gone to bed early last night, leaving Mattie and Jennifer to watch a movie. They had made love then fallen asleep wrapped together and woken up the same way. It was the best way to fall asleep and to wake up. She couldn't picture herself ever getting tired of being with him. She got out of bed and found her running gear. Harm walked into the bedroom clad in a towel.

"You're up?" he kissed her softly as she walked past him on the way to the bathroom.

"Feeling ready for a run," she slipped into the bathroom to relieve herself.

"I didn't exercise you enough last night," he called after her and heard her laughing as she closed the door. The truth was that it had been great going to bed early, making love and falling asleep together. He loved married life.

He dropped his towel as she was walking back into the bedroom. "Oh, Captain."

He slipped his boxers on. "Sorry, no time," he flashed her a sexy grin.

She walked over and kissed him softly. "I love you."

"I love you more," he kissed her again. "What's your plan for today?"

"Take Mattie to her physio session. I told her she could skip her group therapy session since Jenn is here, so we'll probably do some shopping and lunch. Hey, we could come by and take you to lunch?" she suggested.

"1300?" he suggested.

"Sounds like we have a date," she kissed him again. "Have a nice day."

"You too," he kissed her once more before reluctantly letting her go. "I better get ready."

 **Later**

Mac found Jennifer busy in the kitchen after her shower. Mattie was thrilled to have her old roommate around again, and Mac could see that Jennifer too was happy to be there.

"Good morning, ma'am," Jennifer motioned for the table. "I made scrambled eggs and toast. There's the newspaper."

"Will, you ever stop calling me ma'am?" Mac reached for the paper and sat down.

"Old habits die hard," Jenn chuckled. "It's so nice being here. It's a great house."

"Yes, being married to the highest-ranking JAG officer in Europe has its advantages," Mac joked. "We're really happy with the house. Not that the apartment he got before he was married was bad, actually it was pretty spacious, but a house is better for us."

Jennifer sat down. "You seem to be adjusting well to civilian life?"

Mac hesitated. "Yeah, I guess I am. It's strange how plans change. I was so determined to go to San Diego and continue on my career path, wherever that would have taken me. And now," she smiled I'm here."

"But aren't you afraid you'll regret it?" Jennifer was curious. "I mean, you probably would have been a full Colonel by the time the Marine Corps promotion board had made their decisions. Maybe a General someday…"

"Yeah, and all of that would have been a huge honor," she shrugged. "But I wouldn't have had Harm and Mattie."

"If the coin landed differently, you'd all be in San Diego," Jennifer reminded her.

Mac smiled. "Yeah, but I'd be stressing with work. The hours would be long," she hesitated. "Not a lot of people know this, but I have a condition that will make it really hard for me to have a baby. Endometriosis. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago."

"I'm so sorry," Jennifer was sincerely sad for her friend.

"Thanks," Mac hesitated. "It has always been my dream to have a family. Being in a stressful command probably wouldn't have made it any easier. The way I see it, that coin landed just right. We might not have our baby, but this way it feels like we stand a better chance than if Harm's and my roles had been reversed."

"I get that," Jennifer smiled. "I hope it happens for the two of you because you're great together and I can't think of anyone being better parent's."

"Thank you, Jennifer. That means a lot," Mac looked up as Mattie padded into the kitchen rubbing her eyes.

"Okay, you military people really have to learn to chill," she slumped down on a chair. "It's not even eight thirty yet, and it's summer. You're on vacation," she reminded Jenn. "And you're retired, or whatever you call it," she reminded Mac.

"Reserves," Mac smiled. "And it's 08.34 and sixteen seconds."

"How do you do that?" Mattie and Jennifer both wondered.

Mac smiled cleverly. "Time for breakfast. It's a lovely day out there," she said in a British accent.

 **Friday, July 8th**

They had been out for a fantastic seafood dinner and were walking around in a park they found on the way back to the hotel. Harm had left work around lunchtime and gone home and pack. They'd had lunch then gotten into the car and headed for their new destination. Harm and Mac had made a pact to explore England as much as possible while they were stationed there, and this seemed like a good start.

Jennifer and Mattie had gotten a little ahead of them and found a bench to sit on while waiting for them to catch up. Mattie was the true image of a tourist, walking around with her camera snapping pictures of everything. Harm was in no hurry, he was just happy to be having the weekend off and strolling around holding Mac's hand was perfect. He had never been the hand holding type, but with her, it just seemed like something was missing if he didn't have a hand touching her.

Mac stopped and looked at the waterfall, taking in the surroundings. It was a warm July night and a lot of people were spending it outside.

"It's a beautiful place, Harm. I'm glad we did this," she moved her hand out of his and around his waist.

He pulled her closer. "I'm going to be better at taking time off, doing things like this."

"Is that a personal goal?" she teased.

"It's a promise," he put his other arm around her and pulled her closer, his nose almost touching hers. "It's time I experience other aspects of life."

"It sounds like a good plan," she agreed.

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Harm," she kissed him again.

Unknown to them Mattie had snapped a perfect picture of them, that would later be put up on the wall in the living room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Monday, July 11th**

Harm whistled as he descended the stairs after taking a shower. He had been out for a run before dinner. He was starting to really look forward to their D.C trip in about a month, especially after talking with his grandma the previous day. He was also looking forward to seeing his plane again and taking her for a spin.

"Did you remember to arrange for our flight next month?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I did," Mac reassured as she opened the oven and took out a dish. "This is Persian."

Harm looked skeptical. "Is it now?"

Mac chuckled. "It's just chicken with some Persian inspired flavors," she reassured.

"Is that the Persian bread you make that I love?" he reached for a bite.

"Yes," she put the chicken on the table. "Tell Mattie that dinner is ready."

He smiled. "Yes, ma'am," he winked at her.

A little later they enjoyed Mac's cooking. "All these years I thought she couldn't cook," Harm told Mattie.

"I've made you this bread before," Mac pointed out. "And that cookie you love. Koloohcheh."

"Those are good," he looked at Mattie. "We should ask her to make those."

"Cooking is actually the one childhood memory I have that is only positive. My Mom was a great cook, and I was her helper," Mac shrugged. "When she ran off my Dad actually tried to make dinner and it was a complete disaster every time. It ended up being my job until I.." she hesitated. "Well, I ran off too."

"Where did you go?" Mattie wondered.

"Not far, but I stayed with Chris and I never went back home. My High School years were pretty crazy," Mac admitted. "It's a wonder I graduated at all. My advice is; Don't run off with the cute guy on a motorcycle."

"I'll remember that," Mattie looked teasingly at Harm as she said it.

"I'm locking you in until you turn eighteen," he threatened with amusement.

Mac chuckled. "Strict Harm. This is a new side of you."

"Hey, I can be strict," he defended himself.

"Naval officers lack command presence," she added with a sweet smile.

"Marines lack humor," he threw back.

"We tell a lot of Navy jokes," she teased. "And laugh about them."

"Oh snap," Mattie chuckled. "I wish I could come up with great comebacks as quickly as you do."

"I'm not sure the two of you should spend so much time together," Harm pointed between them.

Mattie and Mac shared amused smiles.

"See, I already feel ganged up on," he complained.

 **Wednesday, July 13th**

Harm peaked inside the gym and saw that Mattie was already working with her physiotherapist. He noticed Mac on a chair in the corner with a book and headed in her direction.

"Hi there," he found a chair and moved it over to where she was seated.

"Hey," she smiled. "You made it."

"I sure did," he sat down and leaned in and kissed her softly. "Barely," he admitted. "The meeting ran late."

"It would be okay if you didn't come," Mac made a motion with her head in Mattie's direction. "She's pretty self-going."

"I know, but I've missed her three last sessions," he shrugged. "I wanted to be here."

"I wasn't implying that you didn't want to be here," Mac reassured and took his hand. "We both know how busy you are."

"Some things are just too important to miss," he smiled.

"I know Mattie appreciate you being here," she put her book down. "And I do too."

"Today has been busy," he admitted. "But it's strangely exciting to be in charge. I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I do," he admitted.

"You're growing up," she teased. "No seriously, I'm so proud of you. I knew you'd do great though."

"I wasn't so sure," he chuckled.

 **Later**

After taking Mattie and Mac out for ice cream he went back to the office to get a few things out of the way. On his way into the bullpen, he stepped into an argument between his XO and a frustrated Lieutenant.

"Sir?!" they both sapped to attention.

"Aren't the two of you on the same side?" Harm asked.

"Not entirely, sir," Lieutenant Shane was frustrated.

"I think we can win if we put our client on the stand," Commander Evens pointed out.

"And I don't," the Lieutenant looked frustrated. "The less our client says the better. He has no idea how much trouble he's in and putting him on the stand will just make him seem incompetent."

Harm hesitated. "Well, it looks like the two of you have a lot to discuss. But not here, somewhere private and acting like adults."

"Yes, sir," they agreed.

"Stop by my office when you've reached a conclusion," he added.

"Yes, sir," they both said again.

"Sir, SECNAV is on line one," Petty Officer Larsen handed him a file. "And this is Lieutenant Harper's preliminary report on the Saber case."

"Thank you, Petty Officer," Harm headed for his office.

 **Later that night**

Harm finished packing and left the bedroom. He had been ordered to go out to the USS Theodore Roosevelt and join the 2nd Fleet on a training mission with NATO in the North Atlantic. He would be gathering all the fleets JAG officers and give them instructions on the rules of engagement.

"I'm ready," he dropped his bag by the stairs.

Mattie and Mac rose from the couch and walked over. "Don't go on any crazy missions," Mac warned.

"I'll be sitting in meetings all day tomorrow," he reassured.

"Let's hope that's true," Mac leaned in and kissed him. "Be careful."

"I will," he smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too," she kissed him again.

Harm let her go and hugged Mattie. "I love you."

"I love you too," Mattie smiled as she let him go.

"I better get going so I won't miss my ride," he leaned in and kissed Mac again. "I'll call when I can. I should be home on Friday."

Mac nodded. "Bye."

He took his bag and briefcase. "Bye."

Mattie turned to Mac as they heard the front door shut. "Looks like it's just us, huh?"

"Yeah," Mac smiled. "It's kinda strange being left behind."

"I didn't think Marines liked being out at sea," Mattie teased.

"I've gotten used to it," Mac hesitated. "I'm just used to having his back."

"He'll be okay, right?" Mattie wondered.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Mac reassured. "How about a movie and popcorn?"

"On a Wednesday?" Mattie was amused.

"Why not?" Mac chuckled. "You find the movie and I'll get the popcorn ready."

"Deal," Mattie agreed.

Over the next two days, Mac and Mattie mostly spent time going over what Mattie had missed in school during her stay at the hospital and made a plan for what she should focus on before the school year started. Harm called a few times, but his travel home had been postponed until Saturday.

 **Friday, July 15th**

Mac finished the pizza and put it in the oven. They had been out shopping earlier in the day and decided on homemade pizza that night. Mac had found an Italian recipe online and was eager to try it. Mattie was skeptical, claiming that they were American's and should eat like American's. Mac decided that it was time for Mattie to try something new and she was pretty sure that after having real Italian pizza in Italy later in the summer she wouldn't think that American pizza was the best anymore.

"Have you heard from Harm?" Mattie wondered as Mac joined her on the couch.

"Nothing today. He's probably busy," Mac reassured. "And he'll be home tomorrow."

"Are we still going to the beach tomorrow?" Mattie wondered.

"Sure, if you trust me enough to drive with me here," Mac chuckled.

"Is it really that different?" Mattie wondered.

"It's a little different, but Harm says that I'm doing good," Mac smiled.

"I guess I'll take my chances then," Mattie teased.

They enjoyed pizza and Mattie admitted that the Italian style was pretty good. The next day they drove out of town after breakfast and spent time at the beach.

 **Later in the day**

After their time at the beach and doing some errands they walked into the house with grocery bags. Mac was hoping to hear something from Harm, but so far he hadn't called. Hopefully, he'd be home as promised. When Mac opened the door, she could hear guitar playing and she smiled widely as she let Mattie walk in before her.

"Harm's home," Mattie was just as happy.

Mac hurried to take the second bag inside, then closed the door before she followed Mattie into the house.

"Finally," Mac smiled as she saw Harm taking Mattie's bags from her.

"Hey," he smiled lovingly, then turned to the kitchen. "Did I miss a fun day at the beach?" he wondered.

"You did," Mac followed him.

"It was great," Mattie added as she too walked into the kitchen.

Harm put the bags down on the counter. "Maybe we'll go tomorrow as well," he suggested as he moved in to hug Mattie. "How was your session with Molly go yesterday?"

"It was fine," Mattie shrugged. "Same old."

"She's doing great," Mattie moved in to hug her husband. "We missed you."

"I missed you guys too," he leaned in and kissed her softly. "It's good to be home."

Mattie reached for her phone. "Can I still go to Nick's house?"

Mac nodded as she let her husband go. "Sure," she started unloading a bag.

"What do you guys have planned?" Harm wondered as he started unloading a bag too.

"Just to hang," Mattie shrugged. "Whine about how brutal Molly is."

Harm chuckled. "Don't be home too late."

"Nah, I'll be home in time for dinner," Mattie promised as she turned to leave. "Bye."

"So, how did it go?" Mac wondered.

"Well, it was the usual," he opened the fridge. "It was nice being out at sea again," he chuckled. "The smell of jet fuel…"

She smiled. "Yeah, I remember how that was like."

"The training exercise is progressing well. I got to go through a few issues with the fleet JAG's, they got to raise some issues as well. All in all, I'd say it was a productive few days," he finished putting away the groceries. "But, it's great to be home."

Mac put away the grocery bags. "It's really great to have you home," she smiled as she moved into his embrace.

He leaned in and kissed her deeply. "And we have the house to ourselves for a few hours," he reminded her.

"What to do about that?" Mac wondered as she leaned in and kissed him.

"I have a few ideas," he mumbled between kisses.


	7. Chapter 7

**Friday, July, 29th**

Harm smiled when he descended the stairs and found his wife on the floor doing Pilates. He was a lucky man, he thought as he walked over to her. July had gone by in a hurry it felt like. He'd been busy at work, traveling more than he would have liked. He'd been visiting the branch offices that lay under his command the previous week and spent most of his time in meetings. This week he'd been home, but it was busy as usual. Now that he felt that he had his responsibilities under control he could take some leave soon.

"Morning," Mac smiled when she noticed him.

"Morning. You're up early," he smiled as he bent down to kiss her. "I don't bend like that. How do you do that?"

She chuckled and moved into a new position. "Years of practice. You should really try it with me once.

"Like this?" Harm moved in behind her and sat down with her between his legs, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's all about the breathing," she leaned into him. "You're out of uniform, Captain," she commented.

"You make my rank sound really sexy when you say it like that," he trailed kisses down her neck. "I'm taking the morning off to go with you and Mattie."

"Speaking of Mattie, did you see a stumbling teenager walking around upstairs?" she teased.

"Yeah, she mumbled something about it being way too early to be up and locked herself in the bathroom," he laughed softly.

"Sounds familiar," Mac relaxed into his touch as he started massaging her shoulders. "We have a doctor's appointment at 08.30, then it's her time with Molly and then after that, it's her therapy group. It's a pretty packed day, are you sure you have the time for that?"

"I'm making the time for that," he kissed her neck again. "Besides, I think things are calming down. I'm on top of things."

"Good to hear," she let out a contented sigh. "And if you ever get tired of your day job, you could just do this instead."

He chuckled. "That good, huh?"

"Oh yeah," she moved her head to look at him.

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "I like mornings like these."

"Me too," she turned and leaned on to him again. "Please continue."

He laughed softly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Let's just stay like this," she suggested.

"Today?" he wondered.

She shook her head. "Forever."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her real close. "I'm in."

"Good," she smiled.

"Morning," Mattie mumbled as she came downstairs.

"Hey," they turned their focus to her.

Mattie slumped down on the floor by their side. "Do we have to be awake now?"

"The schedule says so," Mac let out a sigh. "We're just going to stay like this from now."

"I'm sending in my retirement papers later today," Harm joked.

"Sounds good," Mattie yawned.

Harm's phone beeped, and he reached for it. "Later," he said as he put it away.

"Okay," Mac started to stand. "Enough of this, we better get started."

Harm stood too and reached for Mattie's hand and dragged her to her feet. "Come on, the Marines have returned to reality."

"Okay," Mattie reluctantly headed for the kitchen.

"I'll just take a quick shower and I'll be right down to eat," Mac disappeared upstairs.

 **Friday, August 5th**

Harm hung up the phone and walked out on the porch. Mac and Mattie were indulged in a game of scrabble.

"Mom says hi," he sat down in a chair. "Scrabble outside?"

"Yeah, the weather is too nice to stay inside," Mac smiled sweetly. "Are your mom and Frank doing okay?"

"Yes, and they are looking forward to spending time with us soon," he finished checking his email and put his phone away. "I talked with Tom as well."

Mattie looked at him. "What did he say?"

"That he was glad to hear from us," Harm hesitated. "Weren't you supposed to call him last week?"

"I was, but I didn't," Mattie shrugged. "It slipped my mind."

"He wanted me to say that he's looking forward to seeing you again soon," Harm looked questioningly at Mattie. "You do still want to go?"

"I guess," she hesitated. "Was he still going to his meeting?"

"Yes, he's keeping up with the program," Harm reassured.

"Okay," Mattie shrugged again. "I guess I'll go see him."

"He sounded a little sad about you not calling him," Harm admitted.

Mattie hesitated. "Well, I just wasn't sure what to say to him. I know he's trying, but I…"

Harm and Mattie shared a look. "It's okay not to trust him, Mattie," Mac reassured.

"He let you down," Harm added.

"I just don't want him to get his hopes up," Mattie finished a word and leaned back in her chair.

"About?" Mac scribbled down her score.

"I don't want to go back to live with him," Mattie stood. "I don't really want to talk about it. You can take over," she headed for the door.

"Mattie?" Harm called after her.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Mattie hurried inside.

Harm started to stand, but Mac reached out and took his hand. "Let her come to you."

Harm hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Mac nodded. "She needs to dwell on it. We should let her."

Harm relaxed into his chair. "She's conflicted."

"She is," Mac agreed.

Mattie peaked out the door. "I'm heading to bed. I'm tired," she hesitated. "I'll go stay with my Dad for a few days when we go home."

"It's your choice Mattie," Harm reassured. "And no one is expecting you to move back with him. Not your father. Not us."

Mattie nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

"We love you," Mac smiled. "We're here."

"I know," Mattie smiled. "I love you guys too."

They watched her leave and Harm took Mac's hand. "She'll be okay."

Mac nodded. "We'll make sure of that."

 **Friday, August 5th**

Harm put a few more shirts in his suitcase and headed for his closet again. They were traveling to DC tomorrow and his marine was already prepared for the trip. Mattie had been postponing the packing as well and Mac had ordered her to get it done.

"Mattie is all done," Mac stepped into the bedroom.

"Is she now?" Harm was amused.

"I'm not that bad," Mac hesitated. "Okay, so I am, but Marines are first to go."

"We're not going on a mission, Mac. Just a vacation," he added with laughter.

"This way, we can relax and enjoy tomorrow instead of having two squids running around looking for this and that," Mac pointed out as she closed the door. "Besides, think of how happy I am when I know that you've finished packing," she added and wiggled her eyebrows.

Harm smiled cleverly. "Good point, counselor," he put boxers in the suitcase. "All done," he said proudly.

"See, if we do things my way we get more time for this," she moved into his arms and kissed him.

He moved his hands inside her sweater. "I definitely see the upside of doing things your way."

"We can sleep in tomorrow," she added between kisses.

"That's an even better reason to do things your way," he moved her over to the bed. "If you'd use this method over the years you would have won every argument we've ever had."

She giggled as he put his hands on her behind and lifted her up. "We would have been court-martialed if I had used this method over the years."

"It would have been…" he dropped her on the bed and moved over her. "…totally worth it."

"Totally," she agreed.

 **The next day**

Mattie's suitcase was already by the stairs when Harm and Mac walked downstairs the next morning. Mac put her purse down on the table by the stairs and Harm put their suitcases down by Mattie's. They were all ready for a week back home.

Harm took Mac's hand as they walked to the kitchen. "Something smells great."

"Pancakes?" Mac questioned as they found Mattie behind the counter.

"I made breakfast," Mattie smiled. "I'm all packed and ready to fly home."

"Those words make me so happy," Mac smiled cleverly.

"I do see your point about being prepared," Mattie pointed out as she flipped pancakes. "This way instead of running around I have time for breakfast."

"You're going to turn into a great Marine, Mattie," Mac complimented.

Harm raised his eyebrows. "I thought you were going Navy?"

"We'll see," Mattie shrugged. "I think maybe I'd like to be a Doctor."

"Really?" Harm sat down. "I thought you were sick of Doctor's?"

"I am but seeing so many of them made me realize that they have a cool job," Mattie put pancakes on the table.

Mac smiled as she put juice on the table and sat down beside her husband. "You can do anything you want, Mattie."

"I thought I wanted to be a pilot, but after my crash, I'm not sure I ever would want to go up in a small plane again," she admitted. Harm hadn't pushed Mattie about her flying since the accident, just mentioned that if she wanted to go up he would be by her side. Mattie had let it slip that the thought of going up scared her and that even the thought of commercial airplanes scared her before her first flight after getting out of the hospital. Harm and Mac had been prepared that Mattie might have problems when they flew back to London, but Mattie had handled it great.

"That's your decision," Harm smiled.

"Thanks," Mattie sat down as well. "So, dig in."

"It does look great, Mattie," Mac reached for a pancake. "Thank you."

"I should do my part of the shores around here," Mattie reasoned.

"We appreciate that, but you're a kid, so be a kid," Mac teased.

"Kids," Mattie wrinkled her forehead. "I never quite got them."

Harm and Mac both chuckled. Mattie was unbelievably mature for her age, and sometimes acting like she wasn't their ward, but a fellow roommate, claiming that she should do her part of the chores. Mac appreciated the help, but it had taken her some convincing to have Mattie focus on getting well and her school work and not what chores she should do. The teenager shone through every now and then of course, and Mac and Harm knew that when Mattie settled in she'd let her guards down and be a kid. She was still conflicted about her role with them, not sure how to show them how grateful she was. They would give her time to trust that they would always be there for her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sunday August 7th**

The singing of the birds outside their window made Harm wake up. He smiled as he remembered waking up like that as a child, usually followed by grams knock on the door, wondering if he would sleep all day. The clock said 07.30 and he knew that his grandma had been up for an hour and a half already. They arrived yesterday at lunchtime in time to eat a huge meal prepared with love by Sarah, who was thrilled to have them there. They were to stay until Wednesday, then Mattie would go see her father and stay with him until Friday, while Harm and Mac moved into the house Trish had rented for all of them. They would spend Wednesday with Bud and Harriet in D.C after dropping Mattie off with her father.

Mac moved in his arms. As usual, they had woken up locked in an embrace, just like they had gone to sleep in an embrace. It had been that way since they decided that it would be the two of them forever.

"Good morning," he caressed her arm softly, kissing her cheek.

She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "Good morning," she hugged him close. "This is the best way to wake up," she kissed his cheek then moved to get out of bed. "I'll be right back.

He turned his head to the window and as the wind blew the curtains away, he could see two riders with their horses crossing the field on the other side of the creek. He let out a happy sigh. He could hear the toilet flush and the water came on, then Mac peaked into the bedroom, her toothbrush in her mouth. He smiled as he too got out of bed. She walked over to the window and peeked outside as he headed for the bathroom.

Soon she came back into the bathroom and both of them finished brushing their teeth. "Are we getting up? Maybe a run before breakfast?" he suggested.

"It is lovely here," she let out a happy sigh as he pulled her closer. "Your grandma is amazing."

"She is," he agreed as he walked her back towards the bed. "I don't think she'd mind it if we sleep in today."

"Yeah?" she smirked as her legs hit the side of the bed and as she fell backward, she drew him with her. "I could get used to sleeping in," she whispered towards his mouth.

"That's the idea," he moved his mouth over hers as he pulled on her nightgown. "We need," he kissed her again," to lose this."

She giggled as he hit a sensitive spot. It was music to his ears.

A while later they were wrapped together in bed making plans for the day.

"Since it's your first time here, I'll show you around," he drew lazy circles on her back. "I'll show you my special place."

"You have a special place?" she was curious.

"I spent a lot of time there after my crash. That, and restoring Sarah, got me through it," he smiled by the memory. As hard as it was, it's a good memory."

She smiled. "I'm glad you have good memories, despite the bad things you've been through."

"I'm ready to make a lot of good memories," he cupped her face. "I think we're due."

Surprised by his words, she hesitated, trying to find the right words. "When did you get so… romantic?" she wondered. "Or have you always been a smooth talker?"

He chuckled. "I never seemed to be able to express myself well."

"I think you're doing great," she kissed him softly. "And I agree, we're due."

"I'm glad I get to share this place with you. I'm sorry I never brought you here before," he shrugged. "I should have."

"It's your special place, Harm," she reasoned.

"Yeah, but you've always been special to me," he smiled. "Even when I couldn't tell you how much…" he hesitated and found her eyes with his. "How much I really cared."

"Harm," she rested the palm of her hands on his chest. "I don't think that we should spend too much time in the past. I think it's more productive to focus on the future."

He smiled. "I agree," he chuckled. "I guess I just wanted you to know that I'm happy you're here."

"I'm happy about that too," she smiled sweetly and kissed him deeply. "I love you."

He rubbed his nose to hers. "I love you more."

"That's not even possible," she argued with amusement.

"Let's just agree to disagree on that one, Sweet Thing," he flipped her around so that he was on top.

"Slick move," she said between laughter.

"I have a few moves up my sleeve," he wiggled his eyebrows, then sobered up. "Hey Mac, speaking of the future."

"Yeah?" she was curious.

"Should we be doing more about the baby thing?" he wondered.

"Well, I don't think it's possible to try more," she chuckled. "At least not without one of us being hurt in the process."

"Hey, it was your idea to bring out that Kama Sutra book," he reminded her.

"Where did you get that anyway?" she hesitated. "Wait, I don't want to know."

"It was a gift from Keeter," Harm reassured. "It was a joke because I never seemed to be able to keep a girl. I had forgotten about it until you found it when we were unpacking."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about. It's not your bedroom skills keeping you from a long-term relationship all these years," she assured with a nibble to his lip.

"Right back at ya, Mackenzie," he kissed her deeply.

When the kiss ended she cupped his face "Let's see about the baby thing, once we're back home again."

"I don't want to pressure you," he assured. "We can do it when you're ready."

"Thank you," she kissed him again. "We should get the day started."

"I think the day started perfectly," he wiggled his eyebrows.

 **Later**

"Finally, I thought I had to eat breakfast alone," Grams smiled when they walked into the kitchen hand in hand.

"Just enjoying our time off," Harm bent down and kissed her cheek. "No teenager yet?"

"Not yet," Grams stood. "Come on, let's set the table."

"I'll go knock on Mattie's door," Mac let Harm's hand go. "I have good practice in waking her up."

Grams studied her grandson as he watched his wife walk away. "You've got it bad, Harmon."

Harm chuckled. "I won't argue with you."

"I have never seen you so happy," Grams put her hands on each side of his cheeks. "It makes me happy to see."

Harm smiled. "Life is pretty good."

"Make sure you work hard for it to stay that way because that woman is spectacular. You can't do any better," she smiled. "And she is a lucky girl because you are such a good man."

"Thanks, Grams," Harm hugged her. "I won't disappoint."

 **Later that day**

"Mac and I are taking a walk," Harm smiled when he saw what Grams and Mattie were doing. "You're learning to knit?"

"Well, Mattie needs to use her hands, and knitting is the use of hands," Grams smiled. "Besides, it's relaxing."

"I don't know about that, Sarah," Mattie let out a sigh. "It looks a lot easier when you do it."

"That's because I have knitted since I was four," she chuckled. "You'll get the hang of it. And this way you can train your hand and watch TV at the same time."

Mattie chuckled. "Great idea. Physiotherapy at home in front of the TV."

"Don't think you won't have to continue your sessions when we get back to London," Harm warned as he turned to leave the living room. He grabbed his jacket off the rack and stepped outside where Mac was waiting.

"Don't you just love a rain shower in the summer?" she let out a contented sigh.

"Okay, Mrs. Rabb, you've had too much country air," he took her hand. "Or maybe you've had too much time off and is starting to lose it a little," he teased.

She rolled her eyes. "I always loved a shower. I mean, back in Arizona it was rare, and when it happened the world just felt fresh again."

"I can see the charm of that," he agreed. "You hardly ever talk about Arizona."

They started walking down the stairs from the porch and ended on a path behind the house. "I guess I don't have that many great memories to share. Our house was always so tense, my Mom stressed, my Dad…" she hesitated. "He had his good periods and things were okay, but that was the worst part because it always meant that soon all hell would break loose. My Dad's temper started building up, my Mom was all polite, and then…" she shrugged. "Not many Hallmark moments."

"I'm sorry you had to live like that," he hesitated. "It doesn't help you that I feel sorry, does it?"

"No, it doesn't, but what else is there to say," she offered a half smile. "It was what it was, it's always going to be a part of my past. My own drinking problems, almost screwing up all my hard work to get through High School by partying too much, getting married… But I got away from it and I have managed to make a pretty great life for myself despite not having a family."

"The way I see it, there are two different types of family. The one we're born with, and the one we choose. You have a family, Mac. You have Uncle Matt. Mattie and me. All of your friend's. And now you have my family as well."

She smiled. "I do," she moved her arm behind his back. As he did the same and pulled her closer she rested her head on him. "It's pretty perfect."

"I agree," he smiled. "You've made life pretty great for me."

"Really?" she lifted her head and looked at him curiously.

"Yes," he leaned in and kissed her. "I have you, I have Mattie. Everything else seems less important."

She smiled as they walked on. He was right. Everything else seemed less important.

 **Tuesday, August 11th**

Harm noticed that Mattie looked really happy as she walked back downstairs after spending some time in her room. He assumed that her friend Nick had something to do with that. Mattie had most likely been on Skype. She had met Nick in rehab, and they belonged to the same support group. He was a nice kid who had been in an automobile accident six months ago. They had some of the same issues and had bonded through their rehab.

Mac put her book down. "How's Nick?" she asked and beat Harm to it.

He continued massaging her feet as he cautiously studied Mattie.

"Who is Nick?" Grams wanted to know.

"Just a friend," Mattie slumped down in a chair. "He's on vacation with his family too."

"Nick and Mattie have physiotherapy together. "Mac explained.

"It's nice to bond with other people who go through the same things," Grams smiled. "Okay, time for dinner soon. Mattie, why don't you help me, and the lovebirds can get some time alone."

"Sounds like a plan," Mattie smiled cleverly as she stood and followed Grams to the kitchen.

"See, you're making my grandma tease me about being all lovey-dovey," he accused.

"Me?" she shrugged. "What did I do?"

"You're beautiful, which makes you hard to resist," he lifted her feet off his lap and moved over her, leaning in and kissed her. "See."

She laughed by his silliness. "Sorry," she said, not meaning it at all. She moved her arms around his neck. "You could go help with dinner and let me finish my book," she suggested.

"I could," he kissed her again. "But two chefs are probably enough."

"Probably," she agreed and drew him closer.

They had another great dinner and dessert. Harm was dreading leaving again the next day. He was looking forward to seeing his mom and stepfather again, but it was always sad to leave this place.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," Grams let out a sigh. "I demand a visit again soon."

"We'll try, Grams," Harm promised. "The travel distance is a little long for a weekend trip."

"I've loved our stay here, Grams. Thank you so much for making me feel so welcome," Mac started to stand. "Harm and I will do the cleaning."

"I'm just happy my grandson is so happy," Grams smiled. "I've never seen him like this, Sarah."

"Me neither," Mattie agreed. "It would be cute if he wasn't so old."

"Hey," Harm offered an amused look in Mattie's direction. "I'm not that old, thank you very much."

"Slow, some would say," Grams continued. "I mean, nine years to figure things out?" she questioned her grandson."

"Is this the pick on Harm day?" Harm stood and started gathering dishes. "Get out of here," he said with laughter.

Grams chuckled as she too stood. "Sarah, did I show you the albums of Harm as a kid? I'm sure I forgot."

"I would love to see them," Mac looked at her husband with a pout. "I bet he was super cute."

"Oh, he was the cutest baby ever," Grams turned to leave the kitchen. "I'll just get them from the library."

Mattie stood. "I want to see them too."

A little later they were in the living room watching photos. Grams was lively telling them stories from Harm's childhood. Mac and Mattie were laughing, while Harm was mostly amused.

"Thank you for telling all the stories," Mac reached for Harm's hand. "I'm sure there are more stories for another time."

Harm squeezed her hand.

"I have so many stories. "Grams smiled cleverly. "But we must save some for next time."


	9. Chapter 9

**August 29th**

The week back home had gone by so fast and the week after returning to London was busy for Harm. He had doubts about taking another week of leave because of the workload, but he did as planned, and spent an amazing week in Italy with his family. He was back at work again and it was busier than ever. His day had started with back to back meetings, until after lunch when he could finally check up on ongoing cases. This was his favorite part of the job because he got to advise his staff on what he did best. It was a struggle for him not to get too involved and he had to remind himself about Mac's advice to trust his people. He had a great staff and the office was organized, even when he wasn't around for a week.

"Sorry I'm late," he smiled sheepishly as he walked into the kitchen.

Mac and Mattie were already seated to eat. "No problem, we knew you had a lot to catch up on."

He kissed Mac softly and sat down. "How was your day Mattie?

"It was good. My physio session was torture as usual, but I guess a week off here and there makes it harder to start up again. I had a group session. We talked about going back to school, which we all agreed on is going to be terrible," she joked.

"Mattie even did some shopping. Clothes. School supplies," Mac smiled. "I bought a new dress."

"Ah, no shoes this time?" Harm teased.

"Nope, I'll save that for next time," Mac chuckled. "I do have the perfect shoes for this dress though."

"I better take you out soon then," Harm promised.

"Sounds good," Mac smiled. "Mattie is being modest because Molly was really pleased with her recovery. She's making excellent progress."

"That's great Mattie. I'll be there for your Wednesday session," he promised.

"It's okay, I know how busy you are after being away for a week," Mattie reassured.

"By Wednesday I should be all caught up again," he hesitated. "I'll be there for sure."

Mattie nodded.

"I forgot, how did it go at the University?" Harm asked Mac.

"It was just a quick trip to get some papers. Mattie and I got the ground tour. Tomorrow the real work starts, preparing for the first lecture," Mac smiled hesitantly. "I'm kinda nervous about it actually."

"You'll do great," Harm was sure of it. "You know this stuff by heart. I always come running to you for advice whenever I have to do anything regarding international law. If there's a treaty, you know about it."

"Well, it's one thing to advice people, it's another to make it interesting to a bunch of law students," she reasoned. "But I have a lot of time to prepare, and I'll sit in on a few lectures just to get a sense of it."

"I have a date with Jenn. What would we do without Skype?" Mattie started to stand. "Thanks for dinner," she took her plate to the sink and opened the dishwasher.

"Send Jenn our love," Mac stood too. "Just put your plate in the sink, I need to empty the washer."

"This is good fish, Mac. Cod?" Harm assumed.

"Yeah, we picked some up at the fish market," she smiled as she started unloading the dishwasher.

Harm finished his dinner and took his plate to the sink. He wrapped his arms around Mac from behind. "I miss Italy."

She chuckled. "Me too."

"Lazy mornings in the hotel bed," he kissed her neck. "Let's just say that this morning was hard."

"Not for me," she turned her head and kissed him.

"It was torture to leave your warm body," he kissed her again, waiting for her to fully turn in his arms before he wrapped his arms around her. They were still in a newlywed bliss and he didn't think it was even possible to get out of that state.

"It's always lonely when you leave me," she smiled sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you," he kissed her again. "I'll just go change. You could help?"

"Aren't you a big boy and can do that yourself?" she teased. "I have to do this, and then there's a load of clothes ready to be hung up. I picked up your uniforms at the dry cleaner by the way."

"Aren't you a good wife," he reluctantly let her go.

"Hey, one more thing," she waited for him to turn back to her. "Your Mom called about stopping by after their Ireland trip."

"Yeah, when will they be here?" Harm wondered.

"September 12th and they would like to stay until the 18th. Your Mom suggested that we use the opportunity to go away for the weekend, just us, while they spend time with Mattie," Mac smiled. "What do you think?"

Harm looked thoughtful. "I'm trying to picture my week so far ahead, but you know what, let's plan a weekend away. How about Oxford, like we talked about?" he suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "I might be a little busy too that week, preparing for the lectures to start the week after, but a weekend away sounds perfect."

"Then that's settled," he kissed her softly.

 **Wednesday, August 31st**

Harm's phone vibrated as he was sitting in on Mattie's physio session that morning. He noticed that Mattie was preoccupied with her work-out and Mac with her book, so he assumed that it was okay if he did a little work-related stuff while he waited. He noticed that Mac had taken out her book the minute Mattie had started her session, used to the wait as she was.

"Work?" Mac assumed.

"Yeah, just an update," he checked a few more emails and returned one. "Sorry," he put his phone away.

Mac smiled. "It's okay. I always bring something to do while I wait," she patted his hand reassuringly. "Mattie feels a little self-conscious and asked me to bring something to do. You should just go back to work while I wait for her to finish her group session afterward. I just sit outside the room, reading."

"I have no idea how I would have done this without you, Mac," Harm took her hand. "If we hadn't gotten smart and ended up leaving in different directions, I would have had to juggle work and Mattie in a very different way. It seems impossible."

"Well, we did get smart," Mac teased and squeezed his hand.

"We sure did," he leaned in and kissed her softly. "I'm grateful to have you both here. And I don't know that I would have been able to do half as good a job with Mattie as you do. She really has let her guards down with you around."

"Really?" Mac was surprised.

He nodded. "How you got her to join that group session, I'll never know."

"It took a little convincing," Mac admitted. "But it has helped."

"Thank you," he kissed her again. "I can really get used to us. I can't imagine life without us anymore."

"Me neither," she agreed. "I know it's only been a little over two months, but it feels right. Like it's finally the way it was supposed to be."

He cupped her face. "I love you."

"I love you more," she kissed him softly.

A clearing of a throat made them break apart and face Mattie and Molly. "All done?" Harm wondered.

"I can go another round if the two of you want to keep up the kissing?" Mattie suggested teasingly.

Harm chuckled. "It's fine, we can continue later."

Molly smiled. "Mattie did excellently. Making progress all the time. We're still meeting on Monday with Doctor Snowden for a progress report?"

"Absolutely," Mac smiled as she stood. "Thank you, Molly."

"I love my job," Molly touched Mattie's shoulder. "See you on Friday."

Mattie nodded. "So, I guess I'll go get cleaned up. You guys have the time for some more PDA," she smirked as she headed for the locker room.

Harm turned to Mac. "PDA?"

"Public displays of affection," she smiled sweetly.

Harm nodded. "I see."

"Come on, Rabb," she put her arm around his. "Let's get some coffee."

"I'll have a quick coffee, then I better get back," he hesitated. "I can stay if.."

"Hey, it's fine. I have my book, remember," she smiled reassuringly. "Mattie won't mind either. You have a busy schedule today."

He nodded. "I sure do."

 **Friday, September 2nd**

Mac smiled as she walked past Ensign Delgado's desk. She noticed Lieutenant Vukovic standing by the fax machine and offered a sweet smile. The Lieutenant was TAD to help with some of the workload. Harm had his doubts about how much help he would be though, wondering if he'd just stir up trouble.

"Colonel," he smiled. "Or should I say Mrs. Rabb?" he added with a charming smile.

"Just call me Mac," she suggested. "How's it going, Lieutenant?"

"Great. I'm not really sure if the Captain is glad to have me here though," he added with a smirk.

"I think the jury is still out on that one, Lieutenant," she smiled teasingly. "Stay out of trouble and you'll be fine," she suggested as she headed for Harm's office. "Hi, Petty Officer. Is he busy?"

"Aren't we all," she smiled. "Sorry, that just slipped out. He's in and he's busy, but not too busy for you."

"Good to hear," she hesitated. "Anything bothering you?"

"It's just the usual, men," Larsen shrugged. "I'm considering a cat, ma'am."

Mac smiled. "They aren't all bad. I'm afraid you'll have to kiss a lot of frogs to get your prince though."

"I'm blowing off guys for a while," Larsen smiled. "Maybe forever."

"Good luck," Mac turned and knocked on Harm's door and was rewarded with a grumpy enter.

"Maybe you need the luck, ma'am," she suggested. "He's not happy today."

"I'll see what I can do about that," Mac promised as she opened the door.

Harm looked up. "Hey," he stood and rounded his desk. "I'm running a little behind," he kissed her softly. "Sorry."

"No problem," she put her hands on his sides. "Can I help with something?"

"I'm sure there are a hundred things you could do," he smiled slightly. "But we've got it handled. Or starting to get it handled. I'm more than ready for a break though."

"Lunch?" she kissed him and smiled. "I'd offer you dessert to make you feel better, but that will have to wait until tonight."

"I can't wait," he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. "How was Mattie's session?"

"Great," Mac reassured. "She's starting to feel better about starting school too."

"I'm glad," Harm let out a breath and smiled. "Okay, I'm ready to focus on you for an hour. How about Chinese?"

"Sounds great," she released her hold on him.

Harm followed her out of his office and offered a smile to Larsen who immediately stood when they walked through the door. "I'm going out for an hour. You should take a break too, Petty Officer."

"Yes, sir," Larsen smiled.

"I told you I'd fix him," Mac winked at the young Petty Officer.

Harm offered a curious look as he took her hand. "You fixed me?"

"Something like that," Mac smiled cleverly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Saturday, September 11th**

To Harm's surprise, Mac was in deep sleep when he heard nature call at 08.35. She had been sleeping in a lot lately when he thought about it. He figured she was finally embracing being her own boss after twenty years of service. He decided that a run would be good and dressed in his running gear and slipped out the door.

When he got back the bed was empty, and he assumed she had gotten up to have breakfast. He hurried to shower and dress for the day, then he found both Mattie and Mac in the kitchen.

"Good morning," he smiled brightly.

"Too bright," Mattie complained.

"It's past 09.30," he kissed Mac softly.

"Good morning," she smiled. "Did you have a nice run?"

"It was," he arranged himself some coffee and sat down, reaching for the newspaper. It's September 11th," he let out a sigh.

"Yeah, I can't believe it's been four years already," Mac hesitated. "What a day."

"I just remember the pictures on the TV," Mattie hesitated. "My Mom turned it off so I wouldn't watch. Where were you guys?"

"I was in court and when I stepped into the Bullpen everyone was standing in front of the monitors, some were crying," Mac reached for Harm's hand.

"I remember Bud peaking into my office, saying that I had to come to see what was going on," Harm remembered. "No one spoke, it was nothing to say really."

They talked some more about terrorism, then Mac suggested a walk in the beautiful autumn weather. She wanted to stop by her favorite bookstore too.

"I guess a walk would be good," Harm agreed.

"And when we get back, we have to prepare the house for our guests to arrive," Mac pointed out.

"I can help with that," Mattie suggested.

"I've got it," Mac reassured.

"I think I'll just chill inside today. I want to get started on my English essay," Mattie started to stand. "And I really need to understand that geometry thing Mr. Bruno was talking about yesterday. That man has an interesting way of making complicated things even more complicated, or maybe my brain just doesn't get geometry."

"I wasn't great at geometry, but I could try to help," Mac offered.

"Me too," Harm smiled as he stood. "I was pretty good at it."

"I'll let you know if I need help," Mattie promised. "I just want to make sure I'm not too behind since I lost a lot last year."

"You'll do fine," Harm reassured.

"Nick wanted to watch a movie tonight, so I invited him here. Is that cool?" Mattie wondered.

Harm and Mac shared a look. "I guess that's okay," Harm said, and Mac nodded in agreement.

"Great," Mattie put her dishes in the dishwasher. "See you guys later."

Harm took his dishes to the dishwasher. "Are you going to stress about preparations for the semester all weekend, or will you be able to relax?" Harm wondered.

Mac stood. "I've been really focused on that lately," she smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he smiled as he leaned on the counter, crossing his arms. "I'm just worried about you exhausting yourself."

"You don't have to worry about me," she reassured as she put her dishes in the dishwasher and closed it before turning to him. "But it's cute that you do."

"Cute?" he didn't look too convinced.

"Sweet, is that better?" she was amused.

"Much," he said with irony.

She chuckled. "I didn't mean to mess up your image as a cocky sailor by implying that you were sweet."

"Or cute?" he questioned with amusement.

She put her hands on his arm. "Did I mention how hot you look in jeans and a t-shirt? It's always been my favorite look on you."

"I thought you liked me in my dress whites?" he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on her hips.

"It's something about the relaxed, civilian side of you," she moved her arms around his neck. "And I promise, this weekend, you have my undivided attention."

"Yeah," he moved in to kiss her, almost touching her lips with his. "So, what do we do about that?"

"Outside, because it's supposed to be a beautiful day," she kissed him softly. "Maybe a round of my favorite bookstore, coffee at that nice little coffee place next door while I read my new book," she kissed him softly again.

"Sounds like I'll have to buy a book too, so I won't be bored when you read yours," he moved in to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by Mattie.

"Is this your idea of going outside?" she wondered with amusement as she headed for the fridge.

"We're going," Harm smiled.

Mattie took out a bottle of water, then closed the fridge. "Can you guys pick up some snacks, soda, and candy for tonight?"

"Absolutely," Mac promised.

"You guys can watch the movie with us if you want to?" Mattie suggested.

Harm nodded. "Maybe we will."

"But no inappropriate behavior," she added as she walked away.

"Can't promise anything," Harm called after her.

Mac chuckled as she moved out of his embrace. "Come on, Sailor."

 **Wednesday, September 14th**

Mac looked up from her spot by the conference table as the conference room door opened. She had found a place furthest down on the large table with law books scattered around her, a notepad, pen, and computer as she worked on her lecture plan for the semester. Next Monday was her first lecture and she was starting to feel prepared. She had been feeling a little under the weather lately, assuming that she had been working too hard. She had promised Harm that as soon as she had held her first lecture everything would return to normal. He had been worried about her the last few days especially because she had been pale looking.

Harm's staff entered one after the other, offering curious looks in her direction as they sat down around the table.

"Don't mind me. Just working on a lecture," she mumbled as she opened another law book. Harm had told her to use the library as she wanted, so she had decided to go with him that morning.

"All rise!"

"As you were," Harm waived them off. He winked at her, then sat down and started the morning staff meeting.

Mac was impressed by Harm's leadership style. He was relaxed, letting his staff discuss among themselves on ongoing cases. Much like Admiral Chegwidden had encouraged them when he was JAG. He was getting good at being patient when everyone else didn't reach the right conclusion as fast as he did. He was brilliant and would have loved to argue cases in court instead of train others to do what he did best of all. She was so proud of him, it was hard to put into words how much. He had always been a natural born leader, wanting to make the decisions. He hadn't always been the most patient man impatience, but through the years he had grown into it.

"Okay, I think that's it," Harm leaned back in his chair. "Back to work."

They all stood at attention and one by one they left the room. Harm stayed behind.

"You're doing a great job, Harm," she complimented.

"Thanks," he smiled. "I have to admit that I enjoy some parts about being in charge. I miss the courtroom though."

"Make sure you take on a few cases," she advised. "You are brilliant in the courtroom, and you love it. It's important to do things that you enjoy too."

He nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. How long are you staying?" he wondered.

Mac hesitated, then smiled teasingly. "Until I'm done, or you kick me out."

He chuckled. "How about lunch then?"

"Come find me," she smiled as she leaned back in her chair. "If anyone needs the library, they should just kick me out."

"I'm sure they will," he stood and walked over to her, leaning down he brushed his lips to hers. "Later, Rabb."

She chuckled as she watched him walk away. Two more days and they would be in Oxford, just the two of them.

 **Friday**

Harm held the door open and let Mac in before him. He looked around the spacious suite and smiled. This would be perfect for a weekend with his beautiful wife. She had been working hard lately and deserved a little treat.

"Are you sure you're prepared and can relax now?" he wondered as he put their suitcase away.

She turned to him and smiled. "I promise. What about you? Ready for a relaxing weekend?"

"Absolutely," he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Ready for dinner?"

"I am," she kissed him softly. "Where are you taking me?"

"I thought we could have pizza tonight, and tomorrow I made a reservation at this French restaurant. Very fancy," he kissed her again. "Tomorrow we can see the city."

"Sounds great," she let out a contented sigh. "I feel so blessed."

"You seem happy," he cupped her face. "I can't believe I've managed to put that smile on your face."

"I have you, I have Mattie and I've never been happier," she smiled sweetly. "I love you, Harm."

"I love you more," he kissed her deeply.

The next day

Harm laughed softly by the way Mac was looking around the bookstore. Like a kid in a candy shop, he thought. They had found a bookstore with a section of old books. Mac had been at it for an hour while he was the one ending up carrying the books she chose.

"Done soon, honey?" he wondered.

"Almost," she put another book in the pile he was carrying. "These will look great in the shelf by the fireplace."

"You're buying books that look good?" he was amused.

"These are classics," she pointed. "Dickens, Brontë, Fitzgerald…" she watched him with huge eyes. "What?"

"Just," he chuckled. "You're such a pretty geek. I mean, seriously, who would have thought."

She smiled. "I do love my crime novels too, you know that, but," she hesitated. "I used to read these when I grew up. Books like these got me through some bad times."

He nodded. "I get it. And yes, they will look great on the shelf by the fireplace. We have a beautiful home thanks to you."

She leaned in and kissed him. "Come on, let's pay. I'm in the mood for hot chocolate."

"Whatever you want, beautiful," he turned and headed for the register.

"You've made some excellent choices, sir," the clerk said.

"My wife did," Harm smiled as he handed the clerk money. "We're on a belated honeymoon."

Mac walked up to them.

"You have excellent taste in books," the clerk told her.

Mac smiled. "Thank you. You have a lovely store."

"Thank you so much," Harm took the bag in one hand and Mac's hand in the other. "We'll come back here."

"You're welcome any time," the clerk smiled.

"You didn't have to pay," Mac said as they stepped out on the street again.

"I wanted to," he leaned in and kissed her. "I haven't given you many gifts."

"You don't have to buy me gifts," she tugged on his hand. "Come on, there's a café right around the corner."

They sat down outside, Harm with his coffee, and Mac with her hot chocolate.

"I still can't believe that you've given up coffee," he was amused.

"Not given it up, just cut down drastically," she pointed out. "I want to make sure I do everything possible to be able to conceive."

He nodded. "We have that appointment this coming week."

"I can't wait to hear what the Doctor says," she hesitated. "I just hope she has some good news."

He reached for her hand. "Me too. But whatever happens, we have each other, and that's the most important thing."

"You say the sweetest things," she smiled lovingly.

"It's the truth," he smiled sheepishly.

Mac nodded. "You're amazing."


	11. Chapter 11

**Monday, September 19th**

Harm finished setting the table. He lit the candles and turned down the light, then headed over to the oven to check on the salmon.

"Oh, this seems romantic?" Mattie looked questioningly at him. "Was I supposed to not be here for dinner?"

"No, of course, you're supposed to be here," he smiled as he took the salmon out of the oven. "Where's Mac?"

"She's asleep on the couch," Mattie headed for the fridge. "She's been tired a lot lately."

"I know. She's been working really hard," he hesitated. "I'm actually a little worried that she's been overdoing it."

"But her first lecture went great, so she can relax now," Mattie put apple juice on the table. "Anything I can do?"

"Nope, I'll just go wake up…" he smiled. "There you are."

"Sorry," she rubbed her face tiredly. "I think I will sleep like a baby tonight."

Harm took her hand. "But first, dinner."

"It smells great," she sat down on the chair he held out to her.

"I thought we should celebrate," he rounded the table and sat down. "You've had a great start at the university and Mattie has had a great start at school."

"And you won your case today," Mac raised her glass.

"It went pretty well," he admitted as he held up his glass. "To us."

Mattie hesitated. "I was wrong about starting a new school. It wasn't so bad."

"We're so proud of you," Mac smiled.

Harm nodded. "I told you when you woke up at the hospital, that soon the whole thing would be just a bad memory."

"You did say that," Mattie smiled. "I know I have more work to do to be one hundred percent again, but I'm going to get there."

"We know you will," Mac was in awe by the young girl. "You're amazing."

"Not really," Mattie shrugged.

"You are," Harm smiled reassuringly.

"Okay, enough about me," Mattie reached for the food. "I'm starving."

Harm chuckled. "Dig in."

 **Later**

Harm finished in the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He had been out shooting some hoops while Mac and Mattie watched some silly show on TV that they found was worth laughing about. He had gotten more active than intended and needed a shower before bed. He brushed his teeth and headed out of the bathroom. Mac was already in bed, hugging his pillow.

"Are you already asleep?" he wondered.

"Nah, just almost," she turned her focus on him as he slipped on boxers. "I like it better when you're in bed with me."

"I like that better too," he smiled as he got into bed. "Are you okay, Mac?"

"Just feeling a little," she hesitated. "I don't know. Off."

"You haven't quite been yourself lately," he felt her forehead. "Maybe you're coming down with something?"

She hesitated. "I haven't had any pains, but I haven't had my period either. I've been pretty regular since I stopped with birth control. My last Doctor did say that having a regular period would help if I wanted to try to get pregnant," she could see that he was worried. "Look, we have that appointment tomorrow, and we can ask then. It's probably just stress, so don't worry."

He cupped her face. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together. I love you."

"I love you too," she kissed him softly, then snuggled into his arms.

 **The next day**

Harm was waiting for Mac to get dressed. He still had trouble believing the news that Doctor Turner had just told them. He was going to be a father.

"Are we doing okay?" Doctor Turner stepped back into the examination room.

"We are," Harm smiled. "Mac is getting dressed."

"I'm here," Mac was still wiping her tears as she walked in front of the curtain and headed for Harm. "I guess we're still a little shocked, Doctor."

Doctor Turner smiled as she sat down behind her desk. "I can only imagine. To tell you the truth, I wasn't too hopeful that we'd be able to make this happen for you. Your endometriosis is severe, Sarah. You have scarring on your uterus. Most of it was removed, but still…" she chuckled. "I guess we don't have to worry about that. It's a miracle."

Harm took Mac's hand. "So, what now?" he wondered.

"Well," Doctor Turner hesitated. "Aside from the endometriosis, you're in excellent health. I want to follow you up closely to make sure the pregnancy is progressing as it should."

"Do you have concerns?" Harm wondered.

"We don't know how much damage the scarring has done to your wife's uterus, there might be weaknesses to the tissue," Doctor Turner stopped. "I don't want to scare you, but in cases like yours Sarah, I like to do whatever I can to make sure everything works out. You don't have to do anything different. Rest when you can, eat healthy, exercise, make love and try to enjoy this. This is amazing news."

"But you have worries?" Mac assumed.

"It's my job to think about risks, but at the same time, I don't think we should focus on what can happen before we actually have to worry," Doctor Turner smiled. "Please, enjoy the news. I'll give you some information that you can read; then I'll see you again in two weeks."

Harm and Mac both nodded than shared sweet smiles. "Thank you, Doctor," Harm stood and waited for Mac to stand before he pulled her close. "I'll take good care of her."

"I'm sure you will," Doctor Turner smiled reassuringly. "Congratulations."

 **Later**

Harm had left for work after having lunch with Mac at home. She was meeting Mattie after school to go to her physio session. They had agreed to wait to share the news until Mac was further along. Harm had been going between feelings of absolute joy and feeling scared. He suspected that Mac felt the same way and he would try to keep his anxiousness to himself. What Mac needed was love and support, not his reminder that this could be a risky pregnancy.

"Hi guys," he smiled as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Harm," Mattie closed her book. "Math homework is done."

"That's great," he kissed Mac softly. "What are you making?"

"Chicken," she reached for plates. "How was your day?"

"It was good," he reached for his phone as it beeped. "Damn, I forgot the files I was going to look over. I guess I better head in a little earlier tomorrow," he headed out of the kitchen. "I'm changing."

"Hurry up, dinner is ready," Mac called after him as she walked over to the table "Do you have room for plates?" Mac wondered teasingly.

Mattie smiled and started gathering her things. "I can make room."

"All done with homework for tonight?" Mac wondered.

"I have an English essay to finish after dinner. Miss Addington is really expecting us to work hard to earn our grades." Mattie put her books away. "Dinner smells amazing. I'm starving."

"I thought carnivore night wouldn't be so bad," Mac chuckled.

They finished dinner, then Mattie excused herself to work on her essay in her room. Harm pulled Mac close when they were alone. "How are you feeling?"

"Happy," she leaned in and kissed him softly. "And a little scared."

"It'll be fine," he reassured. "We got this."

"Always so confident," she was amused.

"I have a good feeling about this," he kissed her again. "It's a miracle," he put his hands on her belly. "Our miracle."

"Yeah," she agreed.

 **Friday, September 23rd**

Harm looked up from his book and let out a contented sigh. He loved these quiet moments with his wife. He was leaned back on the couch, his feet on the table. She was resting against the sofa cushions, her feet resting over his lap. It was the perfect way to spend a night. Mattie was out with friend's and would be back in about an hour. He wasn't too keen on her being out at night, but it was a safe neighborhood, and she was responsible. He had to remind himself that she had lived in D.C and knew how to be careful in a big city.

He put his hand on her thigh, caressing it softly. "You're beautiful."

She turned her focus on him, offering a funny look.

"You are incredibly beautiful," he smiled.

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm without makeup, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing your old Navy t-shirt, and I'm in my pajama pants."

"Yes, and you're beautiful," he caressed her thigh again. "You don't need any makeup or pretty clothes."

"That's sweet," she put her hand on his. "Mattie will be home in 57 minutes and three seconds."

He chuckled. "Are you worried Mama?"

"Just keeping track of time," she smiled. "Okay, yes, I'm a little worried. She is a teenager."

"Going on forty," Harm reminded her. "Mattie can take care of herself," he hesitated. "But it's a scary world out there."

"It sure is," she put her book away. "I'm using the bathroom; then I'm having ice cream. Can I get you something?"

"It's 21.30 and you're having ice cream?" he was amused.

"Are you afraid I'll get fat?" she wondered as she stood.

"Women do have ten percent more body fat than men," he teased but sobered up as she offered a less than amused look. "You can have ice cream. You look perfect by the way."

She chuckled. "Nice save."

A little later she was back with ice cream and slumped down on the couch. "So, why did you have to go in tomorrow?"

"Just getting some things out of the way. I have Commander Carter on assignment at Sigonella, and she's checking in," he smiled. "I won't be too long."

She took another spoonful of ice cream. "I promised Mattie we'd go shopping for shoes, so you can stay for as long as you need."

He raised his eyebrows. "Uh oh."

"What?" she smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, I'm not buying any shoes."

"You say that now, but…" he noticed her look and shut his mouth. "Have you noticed that you can make people nervous just by looking at them?"

She nodded. "I know."

"I'm not scared of you," he chuckled. "Just slightly afraid of what you'll do to me."

"I can kick your butt," she reminded him.

"The scary thing is, you probably could," he agreed and smirked.

She offered a cute grin. "You're doing a strange mix of complimenting me and saying things that are not very nice."

"Just trying to keep it interesting so you won't get tired of being with me," he reasoned and flashed her a cute smile.

She chuckled and took another spoonful. "So, Commander Carter is at Sigonella investigating that crash?"

"Yeah, she had a few more interviews tonight, then she'll report in tomorrow. She's working with the local JAG who witnessed the whole mishap."

Mac hesitated thoughtfully. "Is Sigonella where you'll be going to keep up your qualls? I know you have to go to a carrier too, but I don't imagine they'll send you back to the States to keep up your flight status."

He hesitated. "Well," he sat up straighter and put his feet on the floor.

"Harm?" she questioned his long hesitation.

"I'm probably not keeping up my flight status," he admitted.

"Is the Navy not letting you?" she wondered.

"No, that's not the problem," he leaned back on the couch, taking her hand in his. "You are, Mattie, the baby."

"Harm," she smiled. "Flying is important to you. I support your decision to keep up your flight status."

"I know you do, and I appreciate that," he smiled. "It's just that things have changed. Priorities have changed."

"Harmon Rabb, are you telling me that you're growing up?" Mac pretended to be shocked.

He chuckled as he pulled her into his arms. "Me?"

She put away the ice cream and relaxed against him. "What changed?"

"We're having a baby," he cupped her face. "It changes everything. I don't want to be away from you more than necessary. And I have responsibilities when it comes to Mattie. She's been through a lot and needs stability in her life."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" she wondered.

"Not for long," he shrugged. "The chance to take a few days and go investigate the crash at Sigonella also would have given me the opportunity to fly, and I decided to send someone else to investigate instead of doing it myself. By doing that I realized that things were different. I'm different," he smiled. "Don't worry, I won't change too much. I'm still going to be arrogant, stubborn and totally get on your nerves."

She laughed softly and leaned in and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you more," he kissed her again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Tuesday, September 27th**

Mattie opened the door to the gym and offered a concerned look in Mac's direction. Mattie had noticed that Mac had looked a little pale lately.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mattie wondered.

"Mattie, I'm sure," she smiled. "I'm just a little tired. I think it's the weather."

Mattie nodded. "Okay, well you can sit and relax while I get tortured."

Mac chuckled. "Sounds like a fair deal. I have some work to do, so I'm just going to sit over there," she pointed to a table in the corner.

"See you soon," Mattie headed for her physiotherapist, while Mac sat down to get some work done before her lecture tomorrow. She had been feeling dizzy and sick all morning, so she'd gone to bed after seeing Mattie off to school. She was feeling a lot better as she went to meet with Mattie after school to take her to her therapy session, but she hadn't been able to eat much, so she lacked energy.

After Mattie's session they went to get a book that Mattie was dying to read, then they sat down at a diner. Mac had some pie with her tea and was starting to feel a little more energetic afterward.

"Want to check out that new men's store? I want to find something for Harm, for his birthday," Mac wondered.

"Yeah, sure," she smiled. "I have no idea what to give him."

"He'll be happy to have anything," Mac reassured.

"What are you giving him?" Mattie wondered.

"I'm taking him out for dinner, you can come too," she smiled. "And I thought I'd just buy him clothes because he hates to shop and giving him clothes would both be the gift of clothes and the gift of not having to go shopping," she chuckled.

Mattie laughed softly. "Sounds smart. I could buy him a new shirt or something."

"Sounds like a plan," Mac motioned for the waitress that she wanted to pay.

They went by the store, but Mac didn't find anything she really liked for Harm and his taste, so they decided to walk around a little.

"Can we go in here?" Mattie wondered.

"Sure," Mac followed her inside the store. Mattie looked around and found a pair of jeans she wanted to try on.

"Good choice," a girl reached for the same pair as Mattie. "I have a pair of these, and I never take them off, so my Mom suggested a second pair."

"Sounds like a good idea," Mattie smiled. "I'm Mattie."

"You're American too? I'm Jane," Jane looked around and reached for a sweater. "This is a nice sweater, right?"

"I like the green color," Mattie agreed. "How long have you been here?"

"Two years now. My Dad is working at the Embassy with Public Affairs," Jane explained. "Why are you here?"

"My guardian is the Force Judge Advocate Europe," Mattie explained.

"Jane, there you are," a blonde woman walked up to her. "Did you find what you wanted?"

"Can I try on this sweater too?" Jane pleaded.

"Sure," the woman smiled.

"I'll go try these jeans on. Is that okay, Mac?" Mattie wondered.

"Sure," Mac agreed.

"Mom, this is Mattie," Jane introduced Mattie.

"Hi, Mattie. Where do you go to school?" the woman wanted to know.

"ASL. I just started this fall," Mattie smiled. "Come to think of it, do we have classes together?"

"I think we do, actually," Jane smiled. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I didn't remember you at first. I haven't gotten to know that many people actually," Mattie explained.

"Jane is a little shy, so it's nice for her to meet someone," the woman smiled.

"Mom!" Jane rolled her eyes.

"I can't say much right these days," the woman focused on Mac. "I'm Jane's Mom, Sophie."

"Hi," Mac offered her hand. "I'm Sarah Rabb, Mattie's guardian. We moved here this summer."

"We've been here for about two years now. My husband is working at the Embassy," she turned to Jane. "Just go ahead and try that on."

The two girls' left the adults alone and went to try on clothes. "It's so rare to see her so chatty right after meeting a new person," Sophie was in awe. "Mattie must be special."

"She sure is," Mac smiled lovingly. "She had a major accident last winter; her father couldn't take care of her, so we became her guardians. I think a new start has done wonders for her."

They talked for a bit longer. Mac found out that Sophie and her husband also had a younger child. When the girls' finished shopping they agreed to have coffee and tea. Jane asked if Mattie could come over for dinner since they discovered that Jane's house was just a few streets away from Mattie's house.

"I guess that would be okay," Mac smiled reassuringly to Mattie.

"Great," Mattie and Jane looked clever as they walked on, a little ahead of Mac and Sophie.

"So you work part-time at the university. How is that?" Sophie wanted to know.

"It's great, and it's a new role for me," Mac hesitated. "Sometimes I miss putting on the uniform, but at the same time, I find it refreshing to try something else. What about you?"

"When Jake and I decided that he should take the job at the Embassy I was wondering what to do about my career. Thankfully England also needs computer geeks," she laughed softly. "I love it at the firm. It's small, but the pay is good, and I have flexible hours, which makes it easier with the kids," Sophie hesitated. "But now that we're having another one, I'm not sure if I'm going to work or not."

"Congratulations," Mac smiled. "How far along are you. It doesn't show."

"Just past the first trimester," Sophie smiled. "It's a blessing, but we thought we were done, so it's also like starting up all over again, you know."

Mac nodded. "I can understand that."

 **Later that night**

"When was Mattie supposed to be home?" Harm wondered as he reached for his phone.

Mac caressed his chest softly. "Relax, she's fine with the Jackson's. And she'll be home in an hour," she moved in to kiss him. "This was nice."

"Very nice," he said between kisses. "I just hope it's okay for the baby."

"Harm, we've never been this careful," she reassured. "It was pretty intense."

"I know," he agreed and kissed her again. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she smiled. "More and more each day."

Harm put his hand on her still flat belly. "Our baby is growing in there. It's pretty amazing, Mac."

"Yeah, it is," she agreed as she relaxed into his arms. "We should finish dinner. I'm starving."

Harm kissed her softly. "Let me do that for you. You relax."

"I can make dinner," she argued as she watched him get out of bed.

"But I want to," he started dressing. "You can help if you want to."

She moved out of bed and found her clothes scattered around the floor. "I'm definitely helping."

Saturday, October 1st

They had enjoyed a nice dinner with the Jackson's. Harm could see how happy Mattie seemed as she and Jane moved over to the TV room after they had eaten. They were getting along really well, and he was happy that Mattie had found someone she really liked.

"Yeah, I worked with CNN for eight years. When I got this opportunity, I couldn't let it pass," Carl smiled.

"What's your role?" Harm wondered.

"I'm basically in charge of the press office. So, all the information goes through me, and I decide how to present it," Carl smiled. "It's an interesting job."

"I can imagine," Harm sipped his wine.

"How are you liking London?" Carl wondered.

"I think it's a place to live," Harm shrugged. "But not forever."

"I doubt the Navy will let you stay forever anyway," Carl joked. "Two, three years probably?"

"Something like that," Harm agreed. "We're happy here. The school seems to work out for Mattie."

"Jane has had a hard time," Carl admitted.

"It seems like it's looking better now," Sophie added. "Markus found his place right away."

"He's a different type than Jane," Carl explained.

"Mattie and Jane seem to have found each other," Mac commented. "Mattie struggled to find someone at school, but this week she's been looking forward to seeing Jane."

"Jane has been a changed girl since she met Mattie," Sophie smiled. "She's a very good student; sometimes she forgets that there are other things that are equally important. And she's so shy."

"Mattie isn't exactly shy," Harm smiled. "But it's been a difficult year for her."

"You can hardly notice the nerve damage. It doesn't look like she lets her accident hold her back," Sophie commented.

"She doesn't. She's been working so hard this summer to catch up on what she missed in school while she was in the hospital. She's amazing," Mac took Harm's hand. "We're really proud of her."

"I can see why," Sophie started to stand. "More dessert?"

"No thank you, it was lovely," Harm said just as his phone rang. He reached into his pants pocket for it. "Sorry, I have to take this," he kissed Mac softly and stood. "I'll be right back."

"The food was wonderful," Mac started to stand. "Let me help you clear the table."

"You're our guest," Carl argued.

"I don't mind," Mac smiled as she reached for plates.

Harm came back a few minutes later. "Just one of my people checking in from an assignment."

"Is everything okay?" Mac wondered.

Harm nodded. "Progressing nicely. I'm done with work for this weekend, promise."

They had a wonderful night and agreed to do it again soon. Mattie and Jane made plans for the next day when Jane would come over to their house.

 **Later**

Mac excused herself to get some sleep. Mattie wanted to skype with Jenn, so Harm secured the house for the night and sat down with his guitar. He hadn't found the time to play that much since they moved to London and it was nice to sit down with it. It was therapy for him, and it always helped him when he needed to unwind. He thought about his life as it had become, and he couldn't believe how well things were going for them. He'd had fears about his new responsibilities. Not his new position as Force Judge Advocate, but more about being a father and a husband. He did not doubt taking on Mattie again, but he had doubts about being able to take care of her needs. It was going so well for the girl, both with her recovery and her new life in London. She seemed happier than ever.

Then there was his role as a husband. He'd been so sure that marrying Mac was what he wanted, but he had doubts about his ability to be a good husband. Mac had given up so much for them, and the last thing he wanted was to do anything to make her miserable and regret ever coming here with him. They were good together. Better than he ever thought was possible. He had a theory that they had both grown over the years, and that was why they could be so happy now. There was no fighting for the top. Instead, they were working together to make a fantastic life for themselves and Mattie. He had never been so open about his feelings before, and he knew that she hadn't either. They could talk about their fears without it turning into a fight. There was no blaming the other for past mistakes, just an agreement that the past was past them and to look forward.

Mac had been amazing with Mattie from the moment they decided to get married. She was by her side, taking over as Harm left for his new duty station. After they were married and she joined him in London, she did everything she could to make a home for Mattie. For all of them. He was amazed by the way she had planned for Mattie's homecoming. He had thought about it, and Mac had become a mother the minute they had agreed to get married. She had become everything Mattie needed.

The baby had been a surprise. He knew that carrying a baby was Mac's greatest wish and to be able to give her what she wanted the most was amazing. He had feared that he wouldn't be able to give her a baby, but as he saw her with Mattie, he knew that deep down it wouldn't matter because she already was a mother. He knew they would be able to adopt and that she would be happy with that too. Now that they had gotten their biggest wish fulfilled, something she didn't genuinely believe could happen, he knew that they would be together forever. Most importantly, that they would be happy together forever. There was so much love between them it seemed impossible that it could ever empty.

He was driven out of his thoughts as he noticed someone walking down the stairs from the second floor. Mac was smiling as she walked over to him.

He changed the song to one they had danced to at their wedding.

" _I set out on a narrow way many years ago_ _  
_ _Hoping I would find true love along the broken road_

 _But I got lost a time or two  
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through_

 _I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you."_

He smiled and ended the song. "What are you doing up?"

"I was lonely in that big bed," she sat down on the coffee table. "Did you ever consider dropping the Naval Academy and just play music?" she teased.

"Mostly I figured playing the guitar would get me, women," he chuckled and started playing Ring of fire. "I thought Johnny Cash was cool."

Mac chuckled. "I always liked hearing you play."

"Yeah?" he smiled. "I'll play for you any time."

She yawned. "Sorry."

"Hey," he put the guitar down and took her hand. "You're tired."

"The baby is sucking all the energy out of me," she stood. "I'm heading to bed again," she kissed him softly.

"Want me to hold you?" he wondered.

"Always," she tugged on his hand.

He stood. "Today was another great day."

"It was," she agreed as they walked up the stairs. "And another great month."

He nodded as they entered the bedroom. She slipped into bed while he went to the bathroom. Soon he was back and slipped in beside her. She snuggled into his arms and let out a contented sigh. It was so perfect to be with him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Wednesday, October 5th**

Doctor Turner removed the inflatable rubber cuff from Mac's arm and put away the equipment. It was just a routine check-up to see that everything was okay.

"Perfect blood pressure," the Doctor reassured as she sat down behind her desk. "You say that you've been feeling dizzy in the mornings?"

"Yeah, and nauseous," Harm added.

Mac looked at him with amusement. "Harm is a little worried that I'm not eating enough."

Harm smiled. "I wouldn't say worried, just a little concerned maybe."

Doctor Turner smiled. "It's very normal. Other than that there's nothing that you're worried about? No bleeding or cramping?"

"No, I feel fine," Mac reassured.

"That's what we want to hear," Doctor Turner closed a file and put her pen down. "Questions?"

"You can tell my wife that she can slow down a little," Harm smiled and took Mac's hand. "Maybe she'll listen to you?"

"I'm taking it as slow as I've ever done," Mac reassured the Doctor.

"I think your wife might know her limitations," Doctor Turner smiled. "And it's perfectly normal that husband's think that pregnancy means to stop doing pretty much anything, but actually it's better for the baby that mommy leads an active life."

Ham nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"And Harm is a little worried about having sex," Mac said.

"I just don't want to do anything that can cause harm," Harm added.

"As long as Sarah isn't uncomfortable it's perfectly fine," Doctor Turner reassured. "I would like you back here in three weeks. We'll do an ultrasound then and hopefully; we'll be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. It will be around your eight weeks and that's when we're first able to hear it."

They made a new appointment before they left. Harm drove Mac to the university; then he went back to work.

 **Later**

Harm worked late that night and went straight for basketball training afterward. When he came home, he had a bite to eat, then went looking for his wife, wondering if she had turned in already. He found her on their bed reading.

"Hey," Mac looked up from her book.

"Hey," he dropped his gym bag and bent down and greeted her with a kiss. "Has Mattie turned in?"

"She was exhausted tonight," Mac put her bookmark inside the book and closed it. "She begged off physiotherapy today. We agreed to take a week off."

Harm wrinkled his forehead with worry. "Is she okay? She hasn't said anything to me."

"She didn't say anything to me either, but I noticed that there was something. She fell apart crying when I asked if she was doing okay," Mac took his hand. "You should talk with her tomorrow. She's been pushing herself so hard."

Harm nodded and let go of her hand. "I should have noticed," he started removing his jeans and t-shirt, then headed for the bathroom.

Mac waited for him to come out of the bathroom. "She's good at keeping things inside."

Harm started emptying his gym bag. "I know," he threw his dirty clothes in the hamper. "How was your day?" he walked over and slipped into bed.

"It was fine," she chuckled when he put his hand on her still flat belly.

"So, everything is fine with mommy," he moved her top aside. "The Doctor is pleased," he bent down and kissed her belly. "Everything is perfect."

"Pretty much," she ran her hand through his hair, enjoying his touch and caresses.

He moved up her body and pulled her into his arms, laying down holding her. "I'll talk with Mattie. And I think taking time off from physiotherapy is a good idea."

"We had a long talk this afternoon," she moved an arm around his torso. "She promised to let us know when she's tired and needs a break before she gets exhausted."

"Good," he kissed her softly.

"How was basketball?" she wondered.

He smiled. "It's great; I'm glad I joined a team."

"I'm glad you did too," she ran her hand up his chest, caressing it softly. "You need some you time."

"You think so?" he chuckled. "I guess I do."

"So?" she moved in to kiss him. "Are you tired?" she let her lips touch his lips in a soft kiss.

"Nope," he kissed her. "What did you have in mind?" he kissed her again.

Losing herself in his kiss, she didn't answer in any other way than using her body language.

 **Saturday, October 8th**

Mac had slept past nine that morning. It was so unlike her to sleep in, but the pregnancy took so much of her energy away that she slept soundly for nine hours straight. Some days she even needed a nap during the day, especially the days she worked at the university.

Harm and Mattie left early to go for a hike and would be gone for most of the morning. Harm and Mattie had a serious talk a few days earlier about Mattie being exhausted and not letting them know about it. He had suggested the hike as a way for Mattie to get some fresh air and use her body without demanding too much. Mac had decided to stay behind and relax with a book, knowing that she wouldn't feel good before later in the day.

Mattie and Harm spent the morning hiking at Meadowlily. They walked for about an hour and stopped to have a bite to eat. The weather was cold but dry. The beautiful colors of the autumn leaves made it extra beautiful Mattie declared.

"I hope Mac's feeling okay," she said thoughtfully. "She would have loved it here."

"She would. We'll come back all of us," Harm smiled. "I'm sure she's doing great on the couch with her book. The pregnancy is just taking a lot of her energy right now."

Mattie nodded. "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," he looked thoughtful. "It doesn't really matter as long as we get a healthy baby. And a pregnancy without complications."

"I hope so too," Mattie agreed. "I always wanted a sibling. I remember asking my mom for one. She just smiled and told me that I was a blessing."

"You are," Harm agreed. "And this baby will be a blessing too."

"Mac told me about your baby deal," Mattie admitted. "I can't believe you did that."

Harm chuckled.

Mattie smiled. "I'm glad you two finally decided to get together."

"Me too," Harm agreed. "Now, let's talk about you."

"I don't want to," Mattie shrugged.

"Well, I'll talk then," he chuckled. "Just promise me one thing. Tell us when you're feeling overwhelmed. You have a lot to deal with, and it's okay if you need a break."

"I said I would," Mattie let out a sigh. "We've had this conversation already."

"I know, but I just want to make sure you understand how important it is that you don't overdo it," he reminded her of the warning her Doctor had given them the day before. He had ordered a two weeks break.

"I know," Mattie stood. "Let's get moving huh?"

Harm stood as well. "Okay." He was a little disappointed that Mattie seemed to avoid a conversation about how she was really feeling.

Later that night

Mattie had made plans with Jane, so Harm and Mac were alone for dinner that night. Mac noticed that Harm seemed a little distant after his and Mattie's hike. When he still hadn't said anything about what was bothering him, she decided to ask.

She found him in the kitchen working on that night's dinner. "What's on your mind, Sailor?"

He finished seasoning the fish and put it in the oven, then turned to her. "Nothing?"

She sat down on a barstool and studied him. "I don't believe you."

He chuckled, then rounded the counter and sat down on the barstool beside her. "Well, Dr. Froyd…"

"Don't be condescending," she warned. "I'm just worried. And besides, talking about things aren't that bad."

He was surprised. "You hate talking."

"Maybe I've had a change of heart," she smiled and took his hand. "I've been seeing a psychiatrist."

"You were ordered to do that," he reminded her.

"At first, yeah," she hesitated. "But I did go back. I had some problems sleeping. I think the whole endometriosis on top of everything else got a little too much to handle."

"You could have talked with me," he reminded her.

"Ah," she hesitated. "I tried, but you were busy."

Harm looked confused; then it dawned on him. "I had dinner with Alicia."

"It's okay, really. Commander McCool was what I needed," she shrugged. "It seems like another lifetime ago anyway."

"About Alicia," Harm started.

"No, it's not important," she smiled. "Just tell me what's bothering you. I could pin you down until you tell me."

He laughed softly. "What's scary is that you would."

I would," she sobered up. "It's about Mattie, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She's shutting me out."

"She isn't," Mac reassured. "She just needs a little time to figure out how she feels."

"You think?" he wasn't so sure.

"It's hard to talk about your feelings when you have no idea about what you're feeling," Mac reasoned. "Mattie will be fine. Give her some time."

"And in the meantime?" he wondered.

"In the meantime, we're there for her," Mac smiled. "You're a great father."

He nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. "So, having another baby with me isn't mortifying?" he teased.

She chuckled. "It really isn't."

He kissed her softly. "Hey, about me not being there for you before…"

"We both could have done better," she shrugged. "I can't go down that road, Harm. The list of regrets is just too long, and it really doesn't matter anymore. It's all in the past. I want to focus on the future because it's looking pretty great."

He smiled. "I agree."

She kissed him deeply. "I love you."

"I love you too," he kissed her again.

 **Wednesday, October 12th**

Mac walked back home after walking with Mattie to her school. She didn't feel like taking a run, so she had opted for these morning walks with Mattie. Some mornings, when she felt better, she walked for about an hour. This morning, she wasn't feeling all that great, and she had to be at the university by 0900, so she just walked back home to get ready for work.

She knew that she didn't have to walk with Mattie, but it seemed like the girl liked their routine, so she had kept it up even though Mattie was getting familiar with the way to school. Mac loved their time together as well. They had a lot of good talks in the mornings when it was just them. Mattie was still more attached to Harm, but certain things were better to talk about with a female.

Mac's phone rang as she closed and locked the door. "Hey, honey. Checking up on me?"

Harm laughed softly. "As a matter of fact, I am."

"I'm fine. Hang on," she put her phone down and removed her coat and shoes. "I'm just going to try to eat a little, then I'll leave for work."

"No puking?" he wondered.

"Nope, just queasy. But after breakfast I'm sure I'll be throwing up everything," she hesitated. "Don't worry. It'll get better."

"I know that, but I wish there was something I could do. And I don't like that you have to go to work when you're not feeling well," he let out a sigh. "Maybe you should… No, forget it."

"I'm fine. This is normal," she reassured.

"You're not invincible, Mac. I wish for once you'd admit that," he knew he was walking into dangerous territory.

"Harm, will you just back off. I have this under control. I wouldn't risk something happening to the baby, and frankly I'm a little disappointed that you think so," she took a calming breath. "Listen, I need to go."

"Mac.."

"Talk to you when you get home. Bye," she hung up.

Harm put away his phone. "Sometimes I don't get women," he mumbled as Petty Officer Larsen walked into his office.

"What's that, sir?" she wondered as she handed him some files.

"Never mind," he looked at the post-its she was holding. "Is that my messages?"

"There are a lot of them," she handed them over.

"Good day to me," Harm smiled. "Is my 0900 still happening?"

"Yes, sir," she smiled. "Let me know if you need something.

"I will," Harm promised.

 **Later that night**

Harm heard laughter coming from the kitchen when he came home that night. So the mood wasn't all bad, he thought as he headed in the direction. He carefully entered the kitchen, and the laughter stopped.

"Am I interrupting?" he wondered.

Mac smiled. "Nope."

"It was just something Jenn said," Mattie hesitated. "I got you something today," she handed over a booklet. "I found it when I stopped by the bookstore."

"Naval Aircraft 1943 to 1945," he read out loud. "Thanks."

Mattie walked over and hugged him. "Thanks for putting up with me."

Harm was surprised. "That's pretty easy," he reassured.

Mattie hesitated as she released him. "I'm really thankful for everything you guys do for me."

Harm smiled. "We're grateful to have you in our lives."

"Okay, enough touchy-feely stuff," Mattie smiled. "Let me know when dinner is ready."

Harm waited for her to leave the kitchen, then turned to Mac. "That was a surprise."

Mac hesitated and walked over. She put her arms around him and hugged him. "I'm really sorry about earlier today. I'm blaming it on hormones."

Harm moved his arms around her. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. You're sweet, and I bite your head off," she leaned back to look at him. "I'm really sorry."

"Hey," he smiled. "I can take a few hormonal outbursts," he sobered up. "This is new to me, and I'm just worried," he admitted.

"I know," she let out a sigh. "I'm still getting used to this. The pregnancy. And you and me being an us. I've always had a problem with men acting like my protector. In previous relationships, I haven't let my guard down like that. It occurred to me today that you aren't trying to control me."

"I'm really not," he assured. "I know how strong you are, and in a gunfight or hostage situation, you'd be the one I'd want by my side. That hasn't changed. You are still you. But we're different now."

"Good different," she smiled. "I love this new us."

"I love us too," he leaned in and kissed her. "I never want to lose you. This pregnancy is totally new territory for me."

"For both of us," she agreed. "We'll figure it out though."

"Yeah," he smiled and pulled her close. "We will."


	14. Chapter 14

**Friday, October 14th**

Mac put the groceries on the kitchen aisle and let out a sigh. She was all done with chores for the day and was planning on taking a nap while she waited for Mattie to come home from school. She was slowly getting used to her new situation. Putting a hand on her still flat belly she smiled as she thought about their baby growing in there. She had given up on the idea of carrying a child, even when Harm was optimistic, telling her that with the help they would be able to have their baby. She didn't believe, but now she was starting to think that there were such things as an everyday miracle.

The phone brought her out of her thoughts. "Checking up on me, Sailor?"

He laughed softly. "Just making sure you're not overdoing it," he teased. "No, I'm just wondering if we're eating out tonight? We talked about it earlier in the week."

"Why don't we just order a pizza and see a movie at home?" she suggested. "I really not feel like going out."

"Tired?" he assumed.

"Yeah, even though I slept for nine hours straight," she let out a sigh. "I'm taking a nap now."

"Sounds like a plan, babe. I'll be home around…" he hesitated. "1800."

"Okay, see you then."

"Love you. Bye."

"Love you too." She waited for him to hang up, then put her phone down. She was glad that no one saw the silly smile she had on her face because she would be accused of being totally smitten. He did that to her.

Later

Mattie, Nick, and Jane were sitting around the kitchen table working on their science project when Harm came home. Nick and Jane had both come home with Mattie after school to get a good start on their project.

"Hi," Harm smiled when he saw them.

"Hi," they said in unison. "How do you feel about uniform circular motion?" Mattie wondered.

"Physics?" Harm assumed.

"Yup," Mattie smiled. "Thankfully we have Nick to make sure our presentation is the best."

Nick turned his computer for Harm to see. "We're using the computer to design an apparatus to show how it works."

"It's going to be awesome," Jane added.

Harm nodded as he studied what they got so far. "I'm sure it will be." He focused on Mattie. "Where's Mac?"

"She just came back from her run so probably in the shower," Mattie said as she turned back to the project.

Harm let them continue and headed upstairs to see what Mac was up to. He found the bathroom door open and heard the shower running.

"Honey, I'm home," he said as he leaned on the doorframe leading to the bathroom.

Mac shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. "Hey," she reached for her towel and wrapped it around herself.

"How was your run?" he asked with concern.

"It was great," she smiled. "Don't worry, I'm being careful."

"I know," he hesitated. "Are you going to stand there dripping and looking at me like that?"

"With amusement you mean?" she wondered.

"So, my concern is amusing?" he wondered.

"It's actually really cute," she smiled sweetly, "I think I love this domestic side of you."

He chuckled. "Did I tell you about the two drunk Petty Officers stealing a chicken?"

Mac wrinkled her forehead with confusion. "Ah, no…"

"They had been out drinking one night on leave and as they walked back to base they saw chickens walking around in a huge garden. One of them decided that he was hungry and in their drunken state they took a chicken and ran," he chuckled. "I'm not kidding. It's Lieutenant Vargas case. He's stationed at Sigonella."

Mac was amused. "What happened to the chicken?" she wondered.

"One Petty Officer chickened out," he laughed by his own joke. "They brought the chicken back to barracks and let's just say that when they were woken up the next morning by a very angry NCO wondering what the hell a chicken was doing there they knew that it would be consequences."

"Did the chicken make it back home?" Mac wondered between laughter.

"Yes, they brought it back and apologized to the owner," Harm laughed softly as he stepped into the bedroom and started undressing.

Mac stepped out of the bathroom a little while later and found Harm seated on the bed with his phone. "I told Mattie we'd order pizza for everyone."

Sounds good." Harm looked up from his phone. "Sorry, just returning an email."

"No problem," she smiled as she found underwear and slipped it on. She reached for pants in her closet. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

Harm shook his head. "Nah, I want to spend time with you. And Mattie."

Mac slipped on a sweater and walked over to him and he pulled her down on the bed and lay down wrapping his arms around her. "I talked with Grams today."

"How is she?" Mac smiled as he put his hand on her belly.

"Good," he hesitated. "I told her about the baby. I just couldn't keep it from her. But she won't tell anyone until we want to let people know."

"It's okay," Mac chuckled.

"I'm just really excited about it," he caressed her belly and moved down her body.

"I know," she ran her hands through his hair as he kissed her belly.

"I can't wait until it starts to show," he admitted.

"You can't wait until I'm fat?" she asked with amusement.

He chuckled. "I bet you'll look great with a baby belly. It'll make it more real, right?"

"It will," she agreed.

He kissed her belly one more time, then moved up her body. "We should order that pizza, huh?"

"We probably should," she moved her hand behind his neck and drew him in for a kiss.

"Should the parents be upstairs making out?" he questioned teasingly between kisses.

"I.." she kissed him. "..just missed you," she kissed him again. "…today."

"I missed you too," he smiled sweetly.

She reluctantly let go of him. "We better order that pizza."

Harm stood and took her hand, helping her to her feet. "Later," he leaned in and kissed her.

Mac nodded and let him lead her out of the room. Some days she just couldn't get enough of him.

 **The next day**

Harm was worried as he stepped into the bathroom. Mac had just darted out of bed and ran to the bathroom, and she was now busy throwing up.

Harm bent down and rubbed her back. "Are you okay?" he asked with worry.

A slight nod, and then she threw up again.

He rose when she did and watched as she flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink to wash. "I feel better now," she dried her face with a towel.

Harm didn't look convinced since the color her face had was white. He watched as she headed for the bedroom again, then he relieved himself and washed his hands before following her. "Should I make you breakfast?"

"Oh God no," she mumbled from her place in bed.

"Should I hold you?" he wondered, knowing that the previous mornings when she had it this bad she had wanted him to hold her.

"Yes, please," she smiled.

He slipped into bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry you have to feel like this."

"It'll be all worth it when we have our baby," she pointed out. "Besides, it's not every morning that I wake up like this."

"I know, but still," he kissed her forehead.

Mac dozed off again after a little while, so Harm got up and went to make them breakfast. He knew that Mac wouldn't eat much more than a toast, but he made protein pancakes for him and Mattie.

"Morning," Mattie walked into the kitchen.

"You're up early," Harm was curious.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Jane and Nick to continue our project," she sat down. "Is that pancakes?"

"It is," he put a plate on the table.

"Is Mac asleep?" she wondered.

"She is," Harm confirmed. "We'll probably just spending the morning at home. When will you be home?"

"Around lunchtime," Mattie smiled. "Unless you want me to get lost a little longer?"

"No, of course not," Harm didn't notice her teasing tone.

"I was just teasing," Mattie looked curiously at him. "Is everything okay?"

Harm let out a sigh as he sat down. "Yeah, just worried about Mac."

"Didn't the doctor say that being nauseous was perfectly normal?" Mattie wondered.

"It is, but it's hard to see her this way," Harm hesitated. "It'll get better."

"It will be," Mattie reassured.

Harm nodded. "Did you speak to your Dad last night?"

"I did. He's doing fine. He asked about Christmas and I told him I'd talk with you guys about it," she shrugged. "I think he wants me to come there."

"You can go if you want," Harm reassured. "We're going to San Diego for Christmas, assuming Mac's okay to fly."

"I think I'd rather stay with you guys. Maybe Dad can come to stay for a few days?" she suggested.

"Of course, he can," Harm smiled. "I'm glad you're making the effort, Mattie."

"He is my Dad," she hesitated. "I don't want to let him down, you know."

Harm nodded thoughtfully. "I know, Mattie. I'm just worried that you are taking on the adult responsibility when he should."

"He isn't exactly good at taking care of himself," Mattie reasoned. "Sometimes I feel like I should be there, you know."

"I know. But you're the kid," he reminded her. "You can't be the strong one all the time."

Mattie hesitated. "I really thought he'd make it. I trusted him, and he let me down again. I don't want to be angry at him, but sometimes I can't help it. Mac says that anger will only hold me back."

Harm nodded. "I think Mac knows a thing or two about being angry at a parent. I think when she finally could forgive, she had a much better life afterward."

"That's what she said," Mattie looked thoughtful. "I'm working on forgiving him, I just don't know if I can trust him again."

"Trust is a totally different thing," Harm reasoned.

Mattie nodded. "Thanks for listening."

"Any time," Harm smiled.

Mattie smiled too. "I think I was pretty lucky to meet you. And Mac."

Harm thought about it. "We're all lucky to have found each other."


	15. Chapter 15

**This will be the last chapter, at least for now. Life is busy and I have a few more stories that are almost finished that I will focus on. I would like to write up until Matthew is born, but for now, I don't have the time.**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

 **Wednesday, October 19th**

Harm hurried down the corridor and flashed his wife a sweet smile. He was running a little late for Mattie's doctor's appointment because of a meeting that ran later than planned.

"Sorry," he kissed her softly.

"No problem. Mattie is in there with Doctor Snowden now," she moved into his embrace and kissed him again.

"What did I do to deserve that welcome?" he teased.

"Just because I missed you," she let him go and sat down again.

He sat down beside her. "Good to know. You weren't feeling so bad this morning."

"No, I felt fine. I ate my first real breakfast in a long time," she put her hand on his thigh. "Don't worry so much."

He put his hand on top of hers. "I love you."

She smiled sweetly. "I love you too."

They waited another fifteen minutes before Doctor Snowden told them to come inside his office.

"Things look good," he smiled. "Mattie's hand function has improved faster than anyone would have guessed."

"She's been working hard," Harm said proudly.

"I agree," the doctor hesitated as he looked over a few charts. "Blood pressure is perfect; she is putting on weight as we hoped, all in all, we are very pleased."

They stayed for a little while longer and was told to make a new appointment in a month.

"Maybe we should have ice cream to celebrate," Harm suggested.

"Too cold," Mac pointed out. "How about a cookie?"

"Those chocolate ones we had the other day," Mattie suggested.

"Okay then," Harm chuckled.

 **Later that night**

It was past 21.30 when Harm walked through the door at home. He'd been at the gym after work and had just had a quick protein bar instead of going home to eat. He had gained a little during the time Mattie had been at the hospital, eating unhealthily and dropping his strict exercise regime had done that. He had struggled to get back to his ideal weight again, but he was finally getting results.

"Hey there," he dropped his gym bag by the stairs and crossed the TV room, heading for the smaller living room. Mac was on the couch in front of the fireplace with her book.

"Hi," she smiled sweetly and put her book down.

He kissed her softly and sat down by her side. "Where's Mattie?"

"She was tired and went to bed early," she explained.

"Okay," he leaned back on the couch. "This is nice."

"Yeah, I love the open fire," she let out a sigh. "It's calming," she smiled. "How was the gym?"

"It was great," he shrugged. "The usual."

"Don't go too crazy with your exercise regime, or people will say, there's Captain Rabb with his really fat wife," she joked.

"You'll look beautiful when it starts to show," he reassured. "Besides, I'm finally getting results."

"I kinda liked you a little curvier," she admitted with a chuckle.

He didn't look convinced. "I don't think so, but it's good to know that you won't leave me if I get fat," he joked.

"It's not like I'm only after your body," she moved in to kiss him. "Although," she kissed him softly. "I don't mind that you're all hunky."

"You think so?" he moved his arm around her.

"I do," she smiled sweetly as she relaxed against him.

He put his free hand on her still flat belly. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she smiled when he moved her top out of the way.

"We have that appointment next week," he caressed her belly.

"Yeah, I can't wait," she put her head on his shoulder. "This is nice."

"Sitting here," he smiled. "It is nice."

 **Friday, October 21st**

Mac looked up when she heard the front door open and shut. She finished hanging up laundry and went to meet Mattie. She found her on the couch.

"How was school?" she asked.

"It was…" Mattie hesitated. "Okay, I guess. I did get A on my English essay."

"That's great, Mattie," Mac smiled. "But still, you don't seem happy about something?"

"It's just the usual not enough hours in the day routine," Mattie let out a sigh. "I wish I didn't tire so easily."

"Mattie," Mac sat down on the couch. "Six months ago, you were in the hospital fighting for your life. It takes time to recover from that. It's not a magic button to push."

"I know," she hesitated. "It's just that everyone else is making plans for the weekend. You know, parties, and teenage stuff. And I feel like going home and relaxing."

"Are you afraid you'll miss everything?" Mac assumed.

Mattie nodded. "I guess."

"You can catch up later," Mac reassured. "You still have time to party."

Mattie smiled. "I guess. And it's not about the partying, really, because I'm not that into that. It's more about feeling like everyone else has a life, while I don't."

"Is this about having friends?" Mac wondered.

I have friends," Mattie shrugged. "I like spending time with Jane. She's more of a chill at home kinda girl anyway. And Nick is great. He understands better than anyone what it's like to feel this way. I guess I miss having Jenn around."

"I can understand that," Mac smiled reassuringly. "And it's okay to miss home, Mattie. I do too. I miss having Harriet around, especially now, with the baby."

Mattie nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you hungry?" Mac wondered as she started to stand.

"Yeah, I could use a snack," she stood. "Maybe I'll take a nap afterward."

"Sounds like a plan," Mac smiled. "What do you want to do this weekend?"

Mattie followed Mac into the kitchen. "I don't know. Maybe we could do something together all three of us?"

"That's what I was thinking," Mac opened the fridge. "Fruit and yogurt?"

"Perfect," Mattie agreed.

 **Saturday, October 22nd**

Mac breathed in the fresh ocean air as she watched Harm and Mattie throw a football. The beach was quiet in the cold autumn air; not many people had taken the trip now that the season had ended. Harm had arrived home from work earlier than expected the previous day and told them to pack a weekend bag. He had decided that it was time to explore England some more and made arrangements for them to stay at a beach house in Canterbury. He had gotten a great off-season price and decided that it would be a great surprise for his two girls. He wasn't wrong. Both Mattie and Mac had been very excited about the trip. They had arrived in time for a late dinner the previous night after taking the time to do some grocery shopping on the way.

They had slept in and had a late breakfast before they got in the car and went to look around town. The main attraction being the Canterbury Cathedral, where Harm had arranged for a guided tour. It had been a fantastic experience.

It was getting close to dinner time now; it was just hard to leave and go back to the cottage.

"It's getting chilly," Harm commented as he walked over to her.

"Yeah, but it's just so pretty," Mac let out a sigh and held out her hand for him to help her up.

"It sure is," he agreed and kissed her softly after helping her stand. "We should head back and start on dinner."

"I'm beat," Mattie complained.

"Me too," Mac smiled. "But it' nice to do something outside."

"Today has been great," Mattie agreed. "I still can't get over that cathedral. Man, that must have been a lot of work to build."

Harm chuckled. "It's quite the place," he agreed as he took Mac's hand as they started to walk.

"This was a great idea, husband," Mac complimented.

"Did I earn some husband points, babe?" he teased.

"And there you just lost them again," she warned. "I hate it when you call me that."

Harm laughed softly. "I'll make it up to you with dinner."

Later that night

"I feel like I'm playing this game with the two hulks," Harm chuckled with amusement. Mattie and Mac both had bright green facemasks on.

"I wish you'd let us put a facemask on you," Mattie finished her word. "Done."

"That'll never happen," Harm studied his letters. "Okay, I've got nothing, I give up."

"Me too," Mattie looked over the points. "There's no way to beat you in this game," she complained.

"Sure there is," Mac smiled as she started putting the letters back into the box. "You just have to practice."

"So, according to this book, this is how our baby looks like now," Harm held up the book he was currently reading.

"That's weird," Mattie raised her eyebrows. "That we've all looked like that once."

Mac chuckled. "Yeah, it is kinda weird," she agreed. "Are you going to read every possible baby book now?" she wondered.

"Nah, one or two should do it," Harm smiled.

"I'm going to get this mask off of me; then I'll turn in. I want to do some reading," Mattie stood. "I need to learn more words if I am to beat you at Scrabble," she warned Mac.

Mac chuckled. "Good night, Mattie."

"Night, Mattie." Harm moved over to the couch where Mac was sitting. "It says that spotting, tiredness and sore boobs are normal."

"Yeah, but the Doc already informed us of what's normal," Mac patted his thigh. "My morning sickness has gotten better, but now I have sore boobs. My body is definitely changing."

"I kinda can't wait until there's an actual belly to rub," Harm smiled sweetly and put the book away.

"That's because you're not the one with the belly," she pointed out as she shut the Scrabble box and leaned back on the couch. "I kinda look forward to all the changes too," she admitted. "I didn't think I'd be able to experience this, so I'm going to enjoy it. Even the sore boobs and swollen feet."

"I'll be right by your side through everything," he promised.

"Thank you," she started to stand. "I'm just going to see if Mattie is finished in the bathroom so that I can clean my face. I'm kinda tired, so I think I'll head to bed."

"I'll join you," he stood. "I'm just going to secure the cabin for the night."

An hour later they were snuggled together in bed after making love. Harm was so patient, making sure she was comfortable and enjoyed their lovemaking. She had been feeling more tired, and sex hadn't been on top of her list of activities over the last week. Harm was incredibly understanding and let her take the lead.

"I'm glad we did this," she kissed his chest. "I know I haven't been all that adventurous lately and a weekend away wasn't even on my mind. It was a nice surprise."

"I get that a comfy pajama and the couch seems more tempting at the moment," he smiled as he caressed her back softly.

"You are incredibly understanding," she hugged him close. "I don't get why someone hasn't made an honest man of you and had your babies already."

He chuckled. "I could give a number of reasons for that. I needed the right woman."

"I do fit perfectly, right here," she snuggled even closer to him and let him wrap her in an embrace.

"You really do," he kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you more," she closed her eyes. "This is perfect."

"It sure is," he agreed as he felt sleep come to him. His last thought as he drifted off was that he looked forward to the future.


End file.
